Brazilian candidate Bolsonaro asks Trump to designate crime groups as terrorists
Key takeaways
- "I went specifically to ask him to designate the CV and PCC as terrorist organizations, because that's what they are," the 45-year-old senator told reporters in Washington after meeting with Trump.
- Bolsonaro is locked in a tight race in the polls with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose left-wing government has voiced strong opposition to the terror designation of the two gangs.
- Read moreBrazil’s Lula launches anti-organised crime plan amid rising security pressure before elections
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Brazilian conservative presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he asked US President Donald Trump during a White House meeting to designate Brazil's two largest criminal groups, Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), as terrorist organisations, arguing they meet the criteria for the label.
By: FRANCE 24 Senator Flavio Bolsonaro attends a press conference in Brasilia, Brazil, March 13, 2026 © Adriano Machado, Reuters Brazil's conservative presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro said Tuesday that he asked US President Donald Trump during a White House meeting to designate two organised crime groups in his country as terrorist organisations.
The Comando Vermelho (CV) and the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) are Brazilian prison and street gangs that the Trump administration has been considering for the "narco-terrorist" designation it has imposed on Mexican and Colombian cartels.