Trump is a national occurrence. However, it supports a global movement. Neofascist, nationalist, and extreme right-wing movements in Europe and Latin America have strong ties to Donald Trump’s cult of personality, which has turned the Republican Party into an antidemocratic cabal that disbelieves election results and supports conspiracy theories. The Republican Party’s support for authoritarian strongman Jair Messias Bolsonaro, whose vilely prejudiced, conspiratorial, and destructive presidency of Brazil has replicated the worst of Donald Trump’s presidency of the United States, is the place where this connection has been most pronounced.

However, Bolsonaro failed to gain reelection on Sunday when the leftist former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva triumphed by a wide margin. The United States’ response to Bolsonaro’s defeat would have indeed been unpleasant and very likely supportive of anti-democratic forces in Brazil and around the world had Trump still been in the White House and listening to Steve Bannon, his adviser on foreign right-wing movements. But Trump is no longer in office. Is Joe Biden. And Biden declared the newly elected president of Brazil to be the winner of a “free, fair, and credible” election.

The US, which has a sad history of siding with the wrong group whenever democratic left-leaning forces have developed in Latin America, made that crucial decision. However, on Sunday, as soon as the election results were made public, Biden made it clear that, as the newly elected president of a nation with the third-biggest economy in the Western Hemisphere and the largest economy in South America, he would work closely with Lula.

That came across as a direct insult to Bolsonaro, who resisted giving in on Sunday night. It was also a rejection of the authoritarian mindset that Trump, Bolsonaro, and other American right-wing heroes like Hungary’s Viktor Orban have adopted.

A changing tide

In the worst possible way, Bolsonaro fought for reelection this year, implying throughout the campaign that he and his military cronies may reject outcomes that did not benefit the president and his allies. Trump’s response was to issue a sincere endorsement of a candidate who even the Wall Street Journal acknowledges “has been labelled a racist, a misogynist, a homophobe, a fascist, an advocate of torture and an aspiring dictator.” Trump is a former US president and an influential figure in the growing global coalition of extreme right-wing parties.

The Brazilian people have a terrific opportunity to reelect one of the greatest presidents of any nation in the world, a fantastic leader, a fantastic man. In a video shared by the Bolsonaro campaign, Trump referred to Bolsonaro as “President Bolsonaro.” “He’s done a tremendous job for your country and economy. In every country in the world, he is revered. So, I wholeheartedly support President Bolsonaro. He will, hopefully, serve as your leader for a long time. He is advancing your nation, and once more, because of him, your country enjoys respect on a global scale. So cast your vote for Bolsonaro today.

Before Sunday’s election in Brazil, Bannon declared that Bolsonaro’s defeat was “mathematically impossible.” Bannon founded The Movement, a global alliance of right-wing parties that “promote populist nationalism and resist the impact of globalism.”

Present problem

Bannon miscalculated.

In an election where a large majority of Brazilians supported Lula, a seasoned trade union leader and left-wing political figure who ran on a programme of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice, Bolsonaro lost by more than 2 million votes. “The majority of the Brazilian people have made it obvious that they want greater democracy, not less,” said Lula as president-elect. Instead of wanting fewer social chances and inclusion, they want more. Instead of less respect and understanding among Brazilians, they want more of it. In other words, they favour increasing rather than decreasing our nation’s freedom, equality, and brotherhood.

The success of Lula was a part of a regional shift to the left, which is precisely what Trump, Bannon, and many other US conservatives fear. Lula was imprisoned and barred from running in the 2018 election that brought Bolsonaro to power. Indeed, according to Reuters’ early Monday morning report, “the victory in Latin America’s largest nation means the left will run all the region’s main economies after a string of political triumphs from Mexico to Argentina in recent years.”

Bolsonaro “cannot yield,” according to Bannon, in the immediate aftermath of the vote amid fears that the Brazilian right may retaliate violently. The Biden administration, however, was apparent in their communication.

Biden said, “I extend my congratulations to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his selection as Brazil’s new president following free, transparent, and legitimate elections. In the weeks, months, and years ahead, “I look forward to working with you to continue the partnership between our two countries.”

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has been pleading with the administration and legislature to make unequivocal statements on the defence of democracy in Brazil, made an even stronger statement. The Brazilian people have voted for democracy, workers’ rights, and environmental sanity today, declared Sanders. I congratulate Lula on his valiant victory and anticipate a solid and fruitful partnership between the US and Brazil. “Congratulations to Lula da Silva on your election victory and to those Brazilians who voted against tyranny and for a more hopeful, peaceful Brazil,” added Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. ”

Another significant connection was drawn to the climate catastrophe by Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, a crucial Democratic senator and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bolsonaro was a fervent supporter of the industries destroying the Amazon. Schatz said, “Lula’s triumph is a victory for global climate action.” It is impossible to exaggerate the value of the Amazon as a carbon sink and preserving it is essential to avoid the worst possible outcomes from climate change. During his last term in office, Lula significantly reduced deforestation. I am delighted to collaborate with him to reinstate Amazon’s environmental safeguards, assist indigenous people, and advance global climate change.

The tensions in Brazil won’t completely subside despite statements from the American president and significant members of Congress. However, they position the United States on the right side of the global conflict against Donald Trump and his despotic allies’ dangers to democracy and the environment.

Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network