MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Brazil bows to no one”: the official reaction to Milei's speech in São Paulo

STF President Luiz Edson Fachin signed a note on behalf of the court describing Milei's remarks as a “disrespectful reference” to a justice of the country's highest court

Brazil's government and the leadership of its judiciary responded on Saturday to the speech by Argentine President Javier Milei at the convention that formalized Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential candidacy, in which he sharply criticized Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and disparaged a Supreme Federal Court (STF) justice.

Workers' Party president Edinho Silva was the first to speak out, in a statement released hours after the event at the Pacaembú stadium. “Brazil is a democratic and sovereign country,” he said, noting that Brazilian democracy allows for the debate of ideas and that no authority is above criticism, provided it is made in the appropriate manner and at the appropriate time. He considered it “inadmissible,” however, for a foreign head of state to come to the country and address its constituted powers in disrespectful terms. He closed with a gesture toward the bilateral relationship: “We feel sorry for Argentina, a friendly country to Brazil with an exceptional people.”

Institutional Relations Minister José Guimarães then questioned Argentina's economic course in a message posted on the social network X. He said Brazil had chosen “growth with inclusion, dialogue and respect for democracy” and asserted that his country “bows to no one.” His remarks on the effects of austerity policy in Argentina constitute a political assessment by the Brazilian official.

The weightiest institutional response came from the judiciary. STF President Luiz Edson Fachin signed a note on behalf of the court describing Milei's remarks as a “disrespectful reference” to a justice of the country's highest court, delivered “on Brazilian soil” and aimed at a ruling issued in accordance with the Constitution. Fachin reaffirmed the “full autonomy” of Brazil's judiciary and said the court's presidency “deplores expressions incompatible with the civility that should characterize relations between states.” A statement of this kind in response to a foreign leader's remarks is uncommon.

During his 25-minute speech, Milei did not say the Brazilian president's name, referring to him instead with terms such as “thief” and “convict.” He also insulted Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the proceedings that led to Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year sentence for the attempted coup, after the court blocked his visit to the former president. The STF had barred visits for political or electoral purposes until the end of the electoral process.

It was Milei's third trip to Brazil since taking office and included no activities with federal government officials. As of this writing, the Argentine government had not responded to the Brazilian statements.