Former president Jair Bolsonaro said his son, federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, should remain in the United States after the 120-day personal leave from Congress ends on Sunday, 20 July. Bolsonaro argued that the lawmaker is “more useful abroad” cultivating political contacts in Washington than attending sessions in Brasília. If Eduardo fails to return, the Chamber of Deputies can strip him of his mandate once he exceeds one-third of absences in the legislative year. Loss of office would also oblige him to resume his position as a Federal Police clerk, where he already faces an administrative disciplinary case for publicly insulting a police investigator. Under Brazil’s electoral law, dismissal from the civil-service post following that inquiry would bar Eduardo from running for office for eight years. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro echoed his father, saying the deputy could stretch the absence period before deciding on his future. The discussion comes as Eduardo leads informal talks in Washington over U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods, a role his father says should have been handled by Brazil’s foreign ministry. São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas has opened parallel channels with U.S. diplomats and the Supreme Court in a bid to ease the trade dispute.