President Joe Biden met with fellow socialist chief executive Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva of Brazil on Wednesday to announce a joint initiative on \u201cworkers\u2019 rights\u201d intended to promote the restructuring of their economies to fight alleged climate change.
The press conference following their engagement, the second of the year, featured multiple awkward moments between the two leaders, including an instance in which Lula appeared to expect a handshake from Biden, who turned his back and walked offstage (Biden had shaken Lula\u2019s hand earlier during the press conference).
The beginning of the press conference also featured a moment in which Biden walked out without Lula and stumbled into a Brazilian flag.
Biden delivered his remarks without incident, proclaiming his \u201cthe most pro-union administration in American history\u201d and promising that the elimination of fossil fuels, gas-powered vehicles, and other staples of daily life in the name of combatting climate change would create more jobs and benefit workers.
\u201cWe will advance a worker-centric clean \u2014 a worker-centered clean energy transition. Folks, as I\u2019ve told labor from the very beginning: When I think of climate change, I think of jobs,\u201d Biden declared. \u201cJobs.\u201d
Biden\u2019s call to eliminate established conventional energy-based industries comes less than a week after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union launched a strike to demand fairer wages and worker contracts. The nearly 13,000 American automobile industry workers currently on strike are demanding significant wage increases of up to 40 percent, the return of contract provisions that ensure wages are adjusted according to inflation, and changes in the system that would allow new workers to make as much as workers serving longer but doing the same job, among other demands.
Pivotally, the workers seek protection in the face of Biden\u2019s government dumping massive amounts of taxpayers\u2019 money into electric vehicles and other \u201cgreen\u201d technology.
The demands for protection from inflation and \u201cgreen\u201d industrial reform are related: the $1.9-trillion \u201cInflation Reduction Act\u201d provided millions in subsidies and offered preferential treatment for \u201cgreen\u201d energy projects, and, in spending so much money, significantly worsened America\u2019s ongoing inflation woes.
UAW representatives have cited the subsidies and extensive bailout payments to major automobile companies as a reason they do not feel compelled to negotiate fairly with workers.
General Motors and Stellantis, two of the companies most directly affected by the strike, announced they would lay off over 2,000 workers on Wednesday as a result of the strike.
\u201cWhether it\u2019s your autoworkers or any other union worker, record corporation profits should mean record contracts for union workers,\u201d Biden said alongside Lula on the same day.
When Lula took the podium to speak, Biden appeared to struggle to untangle his earpiece, meant for live translation of Lula\u2019s comments from Portuguese to English.
The official White House transcript of their conversation shows Lula interrupting his opening statement and repeatedly asking Biden if he could hear his remarks:
PRESIDENT LULA: (As interpreted.) Well, first of all, I would like to greet President Biden and to say to President Biden \u2014
Can you hear me, President Biden?
This is a historical moment for Brazil and for the U.S.
President Biden, can you hear me?
(President Biden nods.)
I \u2014 you can? Yes, good.
Technical difficulties ultimately solved, Lula used his remarks to condemn \u201cneoliberal politics\u201d for hurting the global labor movement and to enforce Biden\u2019s claim that the elimination of entire core industries to resolve alleged climate change would result in a thriving economy for workers.
\u201cThis is the most pure truth, and we will make the energy transition an extraordinary opportunity to reindustrialize and maybe to make the jobs become quality jobs,\u201d Lula claimed.
\u201cAll people that believe that weak wi- \u2014 unions \u2014 weak unions will make that the employer and the businessmen earns more in the country \u2014 well, they\u2019re mistaken,\u201d Lula asserted. \u201cThere is no democracy without strong trade unions because the trade union effectively is the one that speaks on behalf of the worker to advocate for their rights.\u201d
Lula held up his government as an example for America to follow.
\u201cIt is very important for the United States to see what is happening in Brazil at this historic moment of ecological transition, of changing the energy matrix,\u201d Lula said, \u201cthan the country has to invest in solar, wind, biomass, biodiesel, ethanol, green hydrogen, that is, there is an exceptional perspective of working together between Brazil and the United States.\u201d
\u201cIt is a new time in the relationship between the United States and Brazil, a relationship of equals, sovereign and common interests,\u201d Lula claimed.
Lula\u2019s return to power after serving as president from 2003 to 2011 \u2014 achieved despite being convicted on multiple appeals of engaging in corruption while president \u2014 has rekindled Biden\u2019s interest in ties to the traditionally friendly government of Brazil. Under Lula\u2019s predecessor, the conservative Jair Bolsonaro, Biden engendered poor relations with Brasilia, threatening to destroy Brazil\u2019s economy during a 2020 presidential debate if Bolsonaro did not take a $20 billion payment to \u201cstop tearing down the forest.\u201d Bolsonaro replied by threatening to declare war on the United States.
The international left regularly accused Bolsonaro of destroying the Amazon Rainforest, often with blatant misinformation. With the exception of actor Mark Ruffalo, none have similarly questioned Lula\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n