Biden hosts Brazil president for wide-ranging discussions
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden welcomed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Washington on Friday for wide-ranging talks on climate and strengthening democracies, an issue of shared importance after both leaders faced far-right mobs storming their governments’ halls of power to try to overturn their election victories.
Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump in a fraught 2020 race, securing victory with thin margins in several battleground states. In Brazil’s recent election, its tightest since its return to democ- racy over three decades ago, Lula, the leftist leader of the Workers’ Party, squeaked out a win against right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who earned the nickname “Trump of the Tropics” and was an outspoken admirer of the former U.S. president.
Both Trump and Bolson- aro sowed doubts about the vote, without presenting evidence, but their claims nevertheless resonated with their most die-hard supporters. In the U.S. Capi- tol, Trump supporters staged the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection seeking to prevent Biden’s win from being certified. Last month, thousands of rioters stormed the Brazilian capital aiming to oust the newly-inaugurated Lula.
“Both our nations’ strong democracies have been tested of late ... very much tested,” Biden said at the start of their Oval Office meeting. “But both in the United States and Brazil, democracy prevailed.”
Lula said that he was moving to restore Brazil on the world stage after Bolsonaro’s term.
“Brazil marginalized itself for four years,” Lula said. “His world started and ended with fake news.”
Biden joked that Lula’s complaint “sounds famil- iar,” an apparent knock on Trump.
Earlier Friday, Lula told CNN that Brazil does not have a “culture of hate,” but certainly a sharp divide similar to that in the United States.
“Here there’s also a split that’s much more, or as serious, as in Brazil — Demo- crats and Republicans are very divided,” Lula said.
The Oval Office talks come just over a month after Lula’s swearing-in and the failed attempt to topple his presidency. Both sides are look- ing to spotlight that Brazil’s democracy remains resilient and that relations between the Americas’ two biggest democracies are back on track.
The leaders also planned to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, insecurity in Haiti, migration and climate change, including efforts to stem deforestation of the Amazon, according to the White House.
During his 2020 run for the White House, Biden proposed working with global partners to create a $20 billion fund that would encourage Brazil to change its approach to the Amazon. The White House is expected to announce plans to contribute to the multilateral climate effort known as the Amazon Fund during the visit, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because an announcement hasn’t been made.
The official noted that Biden’s special envoy for climate, John Kerry, is expected to soon travel to Brazil.
The Amazon Fund is the most important international cooperation effort to preserve the rainforest, raising donations for efforts to prevent, monitor and combat deforestation and promote sustainability. It is managed by Brazil’s state development bank, and has one committee to set guidelines and monitor the results, and another to certify the effectiveness of sponsored policies.