Michelle Bolsonaro has publicly accused her stepson, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, of disrespecting and mistreating her during a phone call, deepening an internal dispute inside Brazil's Liberal Party (PL), the party of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The former first lady made the accusation in videos posted to social media on June 24. The dispute centers on PL alliances in Ceará, a northeastern state where Michelle opposed the party's accommodation with former governor Ciro Gomes, now affiliated with the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).
The Dispute
Michelle said Flávio criticized her online before speaking to her directly, then returned her call in what she described as a harsh tone. According to Folha de S.Paulo, she said he told her she should stay out of party decisions and did not understand politics.
"He was very rude, disrespected me and mistreated me on the phone," Michelle said, according to Folha. She added that she understood from the exchange that Flávio did not want, or did not value, her support.
Flávio later denied the accusation, according to Malay Mail's report based on AFP. He wrote on X that he had never disrespected, mistreated or humiliated a woman and would not do so to his father's wife.
The disagreement follows an earlier clash over Ceará's electoral slate. Michelle defended Senator Eduardo Girão, from the Novo party, and criticized the PL's alignment with Ciro, citing past insults Ciro had directed at Jair Bolsonaro and his family. She argued that she had the right to see such an alliance as wrong in the first round of an election.
A Family and Party Rift
The conflict matters because Flávio was chosen by Jair Bolsonaro late last year as the PL's preliminary candidate for president, according to Folha. Michelle, who leads PL Mulher, the party's women's wing, had also been floated by some allies as a possible presidential name, though she is now expected to seek a Senate seat in the Federal District.
Correio Braziliense reported on June 15 that PL president Valdemar Costa Neto was working to make Michelle's Senate candidacy viable and considered her participation in Flávio's presidential campaign highly important. He described her as the woman with the greatest vote potential in the party's orbit.
Valdemar also said one obstacle was Michelle's role in caring for Jair Bolsonaro, who, according to Correio, is serving a sentence under house arrest and faces recurring health problems. Michelle herself has kept a cautious public tone about running, saying any candidacy would reflect her husband's wish and her religious discernment.
Ceará as a Test
The immediate flashpoint is a planned July 10 event in Ceará, where Michelle and Flávio were expected to share a stage for the first time since the dispute. Folha reported that the event would launch Senate bids by Priscila Costa, a Michelle ally, and Alcides Fernandes, father of federal deputy André Fernandes.
Michelle rejected reports that she had demanded a public apology from Bolsonaro's sons or the end of the Ciro alliance as conditions for supporting Flávio. Allies cited by Folha said she recorded the videos after what they described as planted stories against her.
The episode shows how succession politics around Jair Bolsonaro remain unsettled. The PL needs Michelle's appeal among conservative women and evangelical voters, while Flávio needs party unity as he tries to consolidate his presidential bid. For now, the public exchange has turned a state-level alliance dispute into a national test of discipline inside Brazil's main Bolsonaro-aligned party.