PT Launches Social Media Offensive Against Flávio Bolsonaro Over Banker Audio and Dark Horse Film Controversy

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign has launched a digital video targeting Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, deploying an audio recording where the candidate calls a banker his “brother” while asking for funds, according to reporting by UOL Notícias and O Globo.

The video, titled “Dark Horse – um filme que o Flávio não quer que você veja,” was released for social media platforms by coordinators of Lula’s campaign, as detailed by Estadão and confirmed by UOL. The production centers on financial transactions involving Daniel Vorcaro, the owner of Banco Master, which suffered a R$ 12 bilhões fraud according to news broadcasts featured in the campaign material. In the leaked audio message incorporated in the campaign piece, Flávio Bolsonaro addresses the banker directly, saying, “Irmão, preferi te mandar o áudio aqui pra você ouvir com calma”, while seeking financial backing for the “Dark Horse” film project.

According to O Globo, the audio revealed that Flávio Bolsonaro asked for money for the movie project through his relationship with Vorcaro, and that R$ 61 milhões were paid. Amid the ensuing political crisis, the senator previously promised to release a formal accounting of the project’s expenditures, a public disclosure that has not yet materialized. The Workers’ Party (PT) has seized on this unfulfilled promise to ramp up digital attacks, instructing its political leadership and digital militancy to saturate social platforms with the “Dark Horse” narrative and revive derogatory terms such as “Tariflávio” and “Fláviorcaro,” as reported by O Globo.

Campaign Strategy and Institutional Pushback

The digital offensive arrives as Lula’s broader campaign navigates defensive terrain following scrutiny over investigations involving the president’s family and associates, including Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha, and former chief of staff Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, according to O Globo. PT campaign coordinator and national secretary Éden Valadares addressed the contrast publicly on social platforms, writing that Fábio da Silva placed his bank records at the disposal of authorities while challenging Flávio Bolsonaro to do the same regarding his finances and the film financing. Minister Guilherme Boulos similarly amplified the messaging online, calling for formal investigations into the senator’s financial dealings, citing past controversies including property purchases and rachadinhas, as reported by O Globo.

Institutional maneuvers have accompanied the digital campaign. Senate Government Leader Teresa Leitão submitted formal inquiries to both the Federal Police and the Prosecutor-General’s Office (PGR) requesting official updates regarding the “Dark Horse” case, according to O Globo. Meanwhile, the PT has mobilized its organized messaging network, known as Porta-Vozes de Lula, which claims a reach of 140 mil people across messaging groups tasked with distributing coordinated campaign cards and talking points, as noted by O Globo.

Broadcasting Timeline and Media Deployment

While the “Dark Horse” video remains restricted to internet platforms for now, the broader presidential media battle enters a formal phase with the inauguration of free radio and television broadcast slots, scheduled to run from Friday, 28, through October 1, according to UOL. Presidential contenders enter the television schedule on Saturday, 29, though 30-second spot insertions begin immediately, giving campaigns a direct pipeline to voters. President Lula enters the race holding the largest total airtime allocation among all competitors, with 5 minutes and 31 seconds, according to UOL. Campaign coordinators indicated that unlike traditional electoral cycles that typically begin with introductory candidate profiles, the initial PT programming pivots directly to aggressive counter-offensive messaging against its primary opposition.