The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said this Thursday (1st) that he is following the Brazilian elections “very closely” and that the election, which will have its first round on Sunday (4th), is “very important” for his country.
In a quick conversation with journalists on the White House lawn, before leaving for events in the states of Texas and Oklahoma, the Republican president was asked if he was following the final stretch of the election and replied: “Very closely”.
Asked about the country’s importance, Trump said: “Brazil is a very important country. It’s a great country. The people of Brazil are fantastic. It’s a very important election.”
The American president did not express support for any candidate during the campaign, although the Democratic opposition and the PT, the party of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, argue that the Trump administration’s measures aimed at Brazil – such as the new tariffs imposed in July and the designation of the criminal groups Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations in June – are attempts to interfere in the election.
In an interview last week with CNN Brasil, US State Department spokeswoman Amanda Roberson denied that the United States was trying to interfere in the Brazilian election.
“We are watching the news, of course we are following the elections, of course we want to know the result, but we believe that, as Brazil is a sovereign and independent country, we want to see free and transparent elections and we will see the result with Brazilians”, he stated.