During a White House meeting, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva and US President Joe Biden pledged to strengthen the relationship between their two nations.

The focus of the meeting was on democracy and climate change, with both leaders agreeing on shared goals and Biden’s intention to visit Brazil at some point in the future. This meeting marked a shift in direction from the previous administration led by Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was known for his combative style and close ties to former President Donald Trump. Lula made an oblique reference to Bolsonaro by suggesting that Brazil had “self-marginalized” over the past four years. During the meeting, Lula also criticized Bolsonaro’s tendency to rely on fake news, which Biden acknowledged with a smile.

The meeting occurred a month after Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace, calling for military intervention and Lula’s removal from office. Some have drawn comparisons to January 6th, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump entered the US capital building.

Despite these incidents, both leaders acknowledged the resilience of their democratic institutions. During a press conference, President Biden said, “Both our nations’ strong democracies have been tested … both in the United States and Brazil, democracy prevailed.”