Trump, Lula and Brazil’s Election Battle

Could Trump’s hardline approach towards Latin America be helping the very leaders it seeks to pressure? In Brazil, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration appear to have given President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a noticeable boost in the polls ahead of next year’s election. But with Brazil still deeply polarised and the Bolsonaro political dynasty regrouping behind Jair Bolsonaro’s son, Flávio, Lula’s lead is far from secure. Dr William Booth, Associate Lecturer in Latin American Studies at University College London, joins Radio Islam International to examine Lula’s electoral prospects, Flávio Bolsonaro’s challenge, and what the increasingly tense relationship between Lula and Trump reveals about Brazil’s growing role in the Global South.