The NYT points to interference from the Trump government to favor Flavio. This should be enough for Brazilians to be worried. The tone of the report is one of fear of looting and plundering the country's wealth. This would happen for decades. I have an opinion at the end. What the NYT claims, in summary: The newspaper states that it has not openly endorsed any candidate, but that the American government is trying to favor Flávio Bolsonaro against Lula. The text cites, as examples of these measures, tariffs, sanctions against Brazilian authorities, the designation of PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations, and questions about electronic voting machines. Brazilian authorities, diplomats, and electoral technicians interviewed by the newspaper (many anonymously) say that Brazil is setting up a “barrier” to reduce the risk of interference: monitoring foreign lobbying and disinformation, responding to fraud allegations, and discussions with countries in Europe, Asia, and others about a joint reaction after the election. Lula, at the UN and in campaign propaganda, accused the Trump government of interfering to “colonize” Brazil and take its natural resources. The newspaper emphasizes that it is unclear whether this push helps Flávio. In a close contest, a nudge from Trump could decide, but it could also provoke an anti-Trump reaction and increase the vote for Lula, as the NYT says happened in Canada and Australia. The article has a tone of fear, in Brazil, that something similar to what Trump did in other countries could be repeated, coupled with American measures that the newspaper interprets as favorable to the right. All in all: within what the NYT itself can do, the pressure from the Trump government on the press is systematic, it's a big alert. However, I think Brazilians still do not grasp the magnitude of what lies ahead. There will be decades of political, economic, democratic, and social backsliding. Many do not want to hear it. They are mistakenly convinced otherwise. The plundering will run rampant and there will be no one to investigate. (translated)
