Mexican President Rejects Congratulations Biden Until Trump's Demands Are Terminated, Brazil's President Is Silent

JAKARTA - After Joe Biden won the electoral college in the United States (US) Election, many leaders from various countries in the world congratulated him. However, two countries known as Donald Trump's best friends, Mexico and Brazil, are still silent on the results of the US election.

To quote the Associated Press, Monday, November 9, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was nicknamed the 'Tropical Trump' for his unconventional populist style, was silent over Trump's defeat. Meanwhile Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declined to congratulate Joe Biden at this time, saying he would wait until the lawsuits against the US election were finalized.

Trump and the two leaders of the Latin nation have several things in common: They dislike wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and are described as populist and nationalist. But the motives of the two Latin leaders may have been different.

Bolsonaro and his sons, who like Trump's children play a role on the political scene, seem uncomfortable with the outcome of the US election. Bolsonaro also previously expressed hopes for Trump to be re-elected.

Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro posted a photo on social media questioning how Biden's vote has risen so quickly in the tally while Trump has not. Eduardo Bolsonaro also questioned the TV channel's decision to cut Trump's speech alleging vote theft. The son of the Brazilian president believes such actions are an attack on free speech.

A senior official at the Brazilian Embassy in the US, who declined to identify him, said Brazilian officials were concerned that Bolsonaro and his son's open support for Trump could destabilize relations between countries. Officials at the presidential office, who are not authorized to speak publicly, said Bolsonaro was now using a more pragmatic tone, following the direction of his advisers.

Meanwhile, the intimate relationship between Mexican President López Obrador and Trump is often seen as unusual for left-wing politicians. In 2019, Trump threatened to impose tariffs that cripple Mexican products unless López Obrador cracks down on Central American migrants crossing Mexico to reach the US border. Mexico complies with this, rounding up migrants and escorting them back to their home countries.

"President Trump has a lot of respect for us, and we have reached a very good deal, and we thank him for not stepping in and respecting us," said López Obrador.

López Obrador also angered many when he made his first trip abroad as president during the summer to meet Trump. The meeting celebrates the entry into force of the new US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, which the two leaders see as a solution to the issue of the 1990s North American Free Trade Agreement.

López Obrador did not meet Joe Biden or his campaign team during the trip. The wound appears to be still around, although the Mexican president says he knows Biden and has a "very good relationship" with him. Even so, Democrats are unlikely to retaliate against Mexico, but it is possible that the Biden administration will secretly pressure Mexico to limit the crossing of migrants - making it more politically expensive for López Obrador.