The IOF crisis and the reaction to Trump strengthen Alckmin as Lula's running mate for 2026, according to the PSB.
Alckmin's loyal performance during the IOF crisis and his leading role against Trump's measures reinforce the PSB's confidence in his remaining as vice-president.
247 - Leaders of the PSB party believe that the recent crisis involving the IOF decrees and the trade offensive by US President Donald Trump have reinforced Geraldo Alckmin's (PSB) position as the ideal candidate to run as vice-president alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the 2026 elections, according to [source missing]. Folha de S. Paul.
According to party leaders, two episodes in particular increased Alckmin's prestige within the government and among the PSB's political base. The first was his stance during the crisis generated by the rejection, in Congress, of executive decrees dealing with the collection of IOF (tax on financial transactions). This episode coincided with a further drop in Lula's popularity in opinion polls.
"If the vice president had been someone other than Alckmin, and from another party, they would possibly have already tried for impeachment," one of the PSB leaders told the newspaper, in an indirect criticism of the MDB — the party that held the vice presidency with Michel Temer in the process that culminated in the coup against former president Dilma Rousseff in 2016.
Furthermore, the party views favorably the leading role assumed by Alckmin, who also heads the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, in the Brazilian government's reaction to the tariff hike imposed by Donald Trump, which raised tariffs on Brazilian products to 50%. The dialogue with the business community and the minister's public stance were considered effective in signaling that the Brazilian government would not passively accept the American measure.
For members of the PSB, Alckmin's actions demonstrate not only institutional loyalty, but also his strategic usefulness as a bridge to sectors of the market, which traditionally view governments with reservations.
