Brazilian senator and presidential candidate met with Trump in the Oval Office after arriving in Washington, seeking to recover from a scandal involving a disgraced banker.
10:56 PM
Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, according to a photo the senator shared on Instagram showing the two standing together in the Oval Office.
Bolsonaro arrived in Washington on Sunday evening seeking the meeting, which had not been officially confirmed by the White House until it took place. The senator requested three days in the United States for the visit. Trump was scheduled to undergo routine medical examinations at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Maryland on Wednesday.
The meeting occurred approximately three weeks after Trump received Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the White House. Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro are expected to face each other in Brazil's presidential election in October.
Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign has faced significant difficulties following revelations linking him to Daniel Vorcaro, a banker under investigation for suspected involvement in what authorities describe as the largest financial fraud in Brazilian history. The connection has damaged the senator's polling numbers and weakened his candidacy.
The senator's team expressed confidence that the photograph with Trump would help him recover from the popularity crisis and strengthen his presidential bid. Bolsonaro posted the image on Instagram with only a thumbs-up emoji as commentary.
The meeting represented a show of support from the U.S. president for the Bolsonaro family's political ambitions in Brazil. The timing came at a critical moment for the senator's campaign, as he seeks to regain momentum ahead of the October elections.
The uncertainty surrounding whether the meeting would occur persisted until the last moment, with the White House not providing advance confirmation of the encounter. The senator's strategy of traveling to Washington to secure the meeting depended on Trump's willingness to receive him and the ability of Bolsonaro family allies within the U.S. government to arrange the appointment.
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