The meeting between Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, was surrounded by tension, apprehension, and uncertainty until the final minutes in Washington.
Since early Tuesday morning, allies of the Brazilian congressman were anxiously awaiting the possibility of the White House meeting being canceled. Staying at The Willard hotel, a few kilometers from the American government headquarters, Flávio remained practically isolated alongside his brother, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, and influencer Paulo Figueiredo.
The group's main fear was that last-minute changes caused by the United States' international agenda, especially in light of negotiations involving Iran, would derail the meeting, which was close to its scheduled time.
Until early afternoon, Flávio's name did not even appear in the official schedules released by the White House, increasing the unease among members of the Brazilian delegation.
The national team jersey ended up being confiscated by security.
Behind the scenes, allies even discussed the political fallout the senator would face if he returned to Brazil without getting the photo with Trump, considered strategic for strengthening his image within the conservative right.
The definitive confirmation of the meeting only came after new contacts made by intermediaries linked to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The coordination involved members of Rubio's Republican inner circle, as well as the network of contacts built by Eduardo Bolsonaro in the United States.
Upon arriving for the meeting, Flávio brought a Brazilian national team jersey as a gift for Trump. The gesture, however, ended up becoming one of the most talked-about behind-the-scenes moments of the visit.
The item was temporarily held by White House security for inspection procedures and could not be delivered directly to the American president during the meeting. Aides stated that the shirt should be released later.
Eduardo entered quickly and left the room.
According to reports from members of the delegation, Eduardo Bolsonaro and Paulo Figueiredo only briefly participated in the meeting. They entered, greeted Trump, and left the room a few minutes later.
The group's political strategy was to ensure that the meeting had the appearance of an institutional and presidential gathering, focusing the spotlight exclusively on Flávio Bolsonaro.
Already settled in front of the American president, the senator heard Trump ask, in the first few minutes, about the situation of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The Republican wanted to know details about the house arrest of the former Brazilian president and asked how the family was coping with the current political and legal situation in Brazil.
The symbolic coin was treated as a political gesture.
During the conversation, Flávio conveyed his father's regards to the American president. The meeting lasted approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes inside the White House.
At the end of the meeting, Trump presented the senator with a "challenge coin," a traditional symbolic coin given by American presidents to political allies, military personnel, and special guests.
Behind the scenes, members of the PL party treated the gesture as an important political sign of the rapprochement between Bolsonaro's supporters and Trump's supporters.
After the meeting, Republican strategist Jason Miller, a Trump ally and close associate of Eduardo Bolsonaro, briefly appeared during the press conference given by the Brazilian senator and greeted Flávio in front of the press.
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