Trump Names Controversial Official to Oversee U.S.-Brazil Relations

The Trump administration has selected Darren Beattie, a controversial figure with a history of inflammatory statements, to serve as Senior Advisor for Brazil Policy. Beattie previously sparked diplomatic tensions with Brazil after criticizing a Supreme Court justice on social media.

The Trump administration has selected a controversial official with strong conservative views to oversee U.S. relations with Brazil, according to multiple sources familiar with the appointment.

Darren Beattie, who currently serves as acting assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, has been named to a senior advisory position focusing on Brazil policy, three sources told reporters. The sources requested anonymity when discussing internal personnel decisions.

A senior State Department official confirmed the appointment, stating that Beattie “currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Brazil Policy.”

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the appointment.

Beattie’s selection comes despite his history of creating diplomatic friction with Brazil. Last August, he caused an international incident when he posted on X that Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was “the key architect of the censorship and persecution complex directed against” former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The inflammatory social media post prompted Brazil’s Foreign Ministry to summon the top American diplomat in Brasilia for an explanation.

Justice Moraes, whom Beattie targeted in his criticism, oversaw the criminal proceedings against Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. Bolsonaro received a conviction for orchestrating a coup attempt to reverse Brazil’s 2022 presidential election results and is currently serving a 27-year prison term.

The United States imposed sanctions on Moraes in July, with Trump administration officials claiming he authorized unjustified pre-trial imprisonments and restricted free speech while handling cases connected to the 2022 coup attempt.

Following the sanctions announcement, Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the former president and a prominent conservative politician in Brazil, publicly thanked Beattie on X for his work. Another Bolsonaro son, Flavio, is considered a top candidate in Brazil’s upcoming October presidential race.

The appointment indicates Washington’s continued focus on what it views as excessive censorship in Brazil and suggests the administration hasn’t fully reconciled with the leftist government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Two Brazilian government sources said they weren’t informed of Beattie’s new role, noting that his influence on diplomatic relations would depend on his internal authority within the administration. Both officials expressed concern given Beattie’s previous public remarks.

Relations between Washington and Brasilia became strained after Trump’s return to the presidency. Beyond sanctioning Brazilian officials, the U.S. imposed trade tariffs on Brazilian products, partly due to what Trump characterized as unfair treatment of Bolsonaro.

However, diplomatic ties showed improvement following a brief meeting between Lula and Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last September, where Trump described their immediate connection positively. Later in the year, the Trump administration reduced tariffs on certain Brazilian imports and removed sanctions against Moraes.

The relationship faces another test as Lula announced plans to visit Washington in March.

Lula has become a vocal opponent of recent U.S. actions, including the operation to apprehend former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and efforts to restrict oil shipments to Cuba.

Beyond his new Brazil-focused role and his position leading the State Department’s educational and cultural affairs division, Beattie heads the U.S. Institute of Peace, a congressional-funded organization dedicated to resolving international conflicts.

In December, the Trump administration rechristened the institute as the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace,” though questions remain about the legal authority for such a name change.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Beattie made controversial statements suggesting U.S. intelligence agencies might be involved in assassination attempts against Trump. He also faced criticism for racist and sexist comments, including a social media post claiming “competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.”

In 2021, he posted on social media: “Imagine having respect for the State Department.”

Beattie was previously dismissed from his White House speechwriting position in 2018 after it was revealed he had spoken at an event associated with white nationalist attendees.