Tarcísio Distances Himself From MAGA Symbol as He Pushes Tariff Relief

Overview

• Tarcísio told RedeTV! he would not wear the red "Make America Great Again" hat again and described his January 20, 2025 gesture as a one-off tied to Donald Trump’s inauguration.
• In the same interview on Tuesday, Aug. 4, he rejected claims that Eduardo Bolsonaro drove the U.S. decision to impose tariffs, calling that attribution a "narrative" and pointing to a formal USTR commercial probe as the real driver.
• The São Paulo government has released and set a payment schedule for accumulated ICMS tax credits to give affected manufacturers and exporters short-term cash, and Tarcísio said he would continue such measures if the surtaxes persist.
• Tarcísio affirmed confidence in Brazil’s electronic voting system, saying he trusts the urns and that the evidence supports their reliability, while he defended Flávio Bolsonaro’s explanations about the 'Dark Horse' fundraising request and said Republicanos had pushed internally to back Flávio even as the party stayed neutral.
• The dispute follows a year-long USTR investigation and growing public blame toward the Bolsonaro family for the "tarifaço," a dynamic that has raised political risk for allies and put state-level fiscal steps at the center of Tarcísio’s campaign strategy.