Bolsonaro worked with Trump, according to the Federal Police

2:02

In the sights of part of the Bolsonarism in the last week, the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP) made this Friday, 18, a series of gestures to former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who was the target of a search and seizure by the Federal Police (PF) and had the use of an electronic ankle bracelet determined by Minister Alexandre de Moraes , of the Supreme Federal Court (STF).

According to Estadão, Tarcísio called the former president to express solidarity with his ally and canceled a trip to Cuiabá (MT) to participate in a meeting with businesspeople alongside the governor of Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes . (União Brasil).

The Federation of Industries of Mato Grosso (Fiemt) and the Brazilian Entrepreneurs Group, organizers of the event, said that the meeting was canceled “due to an unforeseen event in the schedule” of Tarcísio, who was scheduled to participate as a speaker.

The event was the São Paulo governor's only public commitment this Friday and was on his schedule until around 3 p.m., when it was canceled. When contacted, the São Paulo government had not commented on the cancellation by the time this article was published.

Tarcísio has been cautious in recent months, avoiding events outside of São Paulo. He fears that any trip to another state will be interpreted as a move to further his presidential candidacy and anger Bolsonaro and his allies.

In April, the governor had accepted an invitation from Mauro Mendes to participate, alongside Bolsonaro, in an agribusiness event in the city of Sinop, Mato Grosso. The former president withdrew from the event, and the governor also canceled his trip.

Another example occurred at the South and Southeast Integration Consortium (Cosud). The governors of these regions were scheduled to meet in early June in Paraná. The meeting was canceled, but Tarcísio had already indicated that he would send the vice-governor, Felício Ramuth (PSD), as São Paulo's representative.

Following the search and seizure of Bolsonaro, Tarcísio came to the former president's defense. Without directly citing the Supreme Court or Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the governor stated on social media that there will be no peace without"free, fair, and competitive elections" and said that "time will bring justice." "The succession of mistakes we are seeing unfold is taking Brazil off its path," he wrote.

The statement pleased the Bolsonarist core, which last week criticized Tarcísio for advocating a diplomatic solution to the tariff hike, instead of amnesty for those involved in the January 8 attacks. For Bolsonarists interviewed by Estadão, although he did not name Moraes or the Supreme Court, Tarcísio endorsed the former president's speech when he called for"free elections."

The governor's allies are virtually unanimous in their assessment that Tarcísio's reaction to the tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump has tarnished the image of the São Paulo state executive. Tarcísio's initial reaction, blaming the Lula administration for Trump's measure without expressly criticizing the tariff, raised alarm bells among industrial and agribusiness leaders, sectors that support the governor's presidential bid.

Faced with criticism, Tarcísio recalculated his route and adjusted his speech, now focusing on the negative impacts of the tariff hike on the São Paulo economy. The governor held a meeting of business leaders with the chargé d'affaires of the American Embassy, Gabriel Escobar, in an attempt to defuse the situation.

The movement, however, ended up angering the most radical wing of Bolsonarism, led by Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL). He repeatedly criticized Tarcísio for opting for negotiation instead of pressuring the Supreme Federal Court and the National Congress to approve a"broad, general, and unrestricted" amnesty that would benefit Bolsonaro, the other defendants in the coup plot, and those convicted in the January 8th attacks.