President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's reelection campaign has decided to hold back the "TariFlávio" nickname, coined by the Workers' Party (PT) to tie Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), the race's main opposition candidate and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, to the tariff hike the United States imposed on Brazilian goods. According to Poder360, the campaign's immediate priority is to press the senator's relationship with Daniel Vorcaro, the jailed founder of Banco Master.
The nickname will not appear in Lula's debut in the free election advertising slots on TV this Saturday (29), nor in the first programs, Poder360 reports. Under Brazil's election rules, candidates get free airtime proportional to their parties' size in Congress, and Lula holds the largest share. The president will present government achievements and attack his rival over the "Dark Horse" film episode, a biopic of Jair Bolsonaro whose financing was negotiated with Vorcaro. On radio, the campaign has already aired an adaptation of the viral "Osmarzinho" jingle linking Flávio to the banker's money, according to UOL.
The "Osmarzinho" hit
The PT version of the song spread on social media this week. The Instagram profile "Lulaverso" posted a video with the jingle, which supporters then replicated, reported Sonar, O Globo's internet trends blog. The lyrics mention the R$ 61 million financing negotiated with Vorcaro for the film about Jair Bolsonaro, cash deposits at a chocolate shop linked to the senator, the purchase of a R$ 6 million mansion in Brasília and the self-imposed exile of Eduardo Bolsonaro, the senator's brother, in the United States. They also cite the "rachadinha" salary-splitting suspicions in Flávio's office, a case in which the accusations were shelved.
"Who asked Daniel Vorcaro for R$ 61 million to make a film about his father? It was Flávio Bolsonaro! Who had several cash deposits at the chocolate shop? It was Flávio Bolsonaro! Who is on the run in the United States because he could be arrested if he returns to Brazil? It's Eduardo, Flávio's brother!"
The original jingle dates back to 2016, from the mayoral campaign of Osmar Vieira, known as Osmarzinho, in Cocal dos Alves, a town of 6,300 people in Piauí state. Elected on the PT ticket, he governed the town from 2017 to 2024. The song resurfaced in recent weeks, and the former mayor obtained a court order to take down posts using the hit, according to O Globo.
"TariFlávio" saved for later
The nickname emerged during the escalation of U.S. tariffs this year and has been used by the PT on social media. The party even prepared different responses depending on the outcome of negotiations with Washington, Poder360 found. Defending national sovereignty will be one of the campaign's themes, a strategy the Planalto palace adopted in the second half of 2025 under Secom minister Sidônio Palmeira. In that period, Lula's approval reached 51% and surpassed disapproval for the first time.
The backstory feeds the attack. In 2025, congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro backed the first tariff package announced by Donald Trump, arguing that economic pressure could help secure amnesty for former president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted for plotting a coup. The stance drew criticism from right-wing allies, including São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas and Flávio himself. The PT campaign also plans to exploit the senator's latest trip to the United States, where he took part in a public hearing held by the USTR, the U.S. trade office, asked Washington to postpone the 25% tariff until after the Brazilian election and advocated negotiating with a future government of his own.
Lula debuts in the TV election slots this Saturday (29). The first round is set for October 4, and the "TariFlávio" line of attack is being kept for a later stage of the race, according to Poder360.