Back in early 1800s‚ a US lawyer saw Brazil as Americas future rival‚ but today its more about finding common-ground (even with some bumps along the way). Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva‚ Brazils current leader works with BRICS group; which sometimes doesnt match US views
The relationship has its up-and-downs: Brazils stance on world events often differs from US positions but both sides try to keep things friendly. As Antony Blinken pointed out during his Rio trip early this year:
We can have these disagreements even profound disagreements and still continue all of the vital work that weʼre doing together
The upcoming Nov 5th election might shake things up. A second Trump win could push Brazil to look elsewhere for friends‚ while Harris victory might help both countries work better on stuff like:
- climate change
- democracy support
- worker rights
- international teamwork
Looking back at past US leaders shows interesting patterns - Bush gave Brazil space to do its thing while Obama wanted more control. Current president Biden and Lula found common ground on worker rights; with Lula noting how Biden speaks well about workers
The Trump-Lula scenario isnt as bad as some think: both are strong personalities who might find ways to work together. Brazil even started moving away from Venezuela lately which could help smooth things over
Still Lula makes no secret about preferring Biden or Harris‚ saying democracy works better with them. But its not up to preferences - its all about those swing-state voters whoʼll decide whats next for both countries