President Biden invites new Brazilian President Lula to White House

United States President Joe Biden invited new Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Washington, DC, as rioters in Brazil protest his election victory by attacking government buildings amid civil unrest.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who lost the election by a thin margin, has repeatedly blamed his loss on faulty voting machines, echoing post-2020 election cries from Trump supporters and the former US president himself after his election loss to Biden.

The invitation by Biden to host Lula in Washington, DC, comes just days after rioters stormed the Brazilian government’s central complex in Brasília in an attempt to overturn the election results. 

In a joint statement issued by Biden and Lula after a phone call on Monday, the United States reiterated its support for the Brazilian people and their democracy.

“President Biden and President Lula spoke by telephone this afternoon. President Biden conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy and for the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazil’s recent presidential election, which President Lula won,” the statement reads.

Biden invited Lula to DC for an early February visit “for in-depth consultations on a wide-ranging shared agenda,” and Lula accepted.

The invitation came on the same day Biden publicly condemned the attacks on the Brazilian government via Twitter, writing, “I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. I look forward to continuing to work with @LulaOficial.”