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Waack puts fuel, minerals and China at center of Trump's Brazil strategy

The analyst argues that assistance to Flávio Bolsonaro matters less to Washington than Brazil's resources and diplomatic alignment.

Channel: CNN Brasil ·

BrazilStory of October 31, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Waack: Trump mantém Flávio em segundo plano e mira Brasília | CNN Brasil

Fuel, rare minerals, agricultural commodities and cooperation against drug trafficking: these are the interests William Waack identifies behind Donald Trump's approach to Brazil after its election.

In a short analysis for Brazil's CNN Brasil, the anchor argues that Washington is pursuing strategic influence rather than a change of government. In his reading, the White House wants to draw Brasília away from Beijing, treating China's presence in Brazil as a central concern within a region it regards as an American sphere of influence.

Waack contrasts those ambitions with Trump's help for Flávio Bolsonaro, the senator for Rio de Janeiro and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. He says Trump directed an aide to arrange a plane in Argentina to help Flávio reach the United States, where special treatment and temporary permission to remain awaited him. Waack considers that assistance less than the Bolsonaro family had expected.

The analyst also draws a distinction between criticizing an election and rejecting its legitimacy. Trump has criticized Brazil's result and electoral process, Waack says, but has stopped short of declaring the election invalid or refusing to recognize it.

His conclusion is that Flávio's situation remains secondary to the larger relationship Washington wants with Brazil: access to resources, distance from China and alignment on counternarcotics.

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