Carlos Baptista Junior details resistance to Bolsonaro in new book

In his new book, “Eu disse NÃO: uma trincheira antigolpista”, former Air Force Commander Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior details his resistance to military pressure to support an institutional rupture following Jair Bolsonaro's 2022 election defeat.

Baptista Junior describes high-tension meetings at the Alvorada Palace involving Bolsonaro and the leaders of the Army, Navy, and Defense Ministry. During one encounter, Bolsonaro reportedly told the commander, “Já te dei dois cartões amarelos” (“I have already given you two yellow cards”), which the officer interpreted as an attempt to pressure him into abandoning his legalist stance.

The book highlights the role of the “group of four”—comprising Baptista Junior, Army Commander General Freire Gomes, Navy Admiral Almir Garnier, and Defense Minister General Paulo Sérgio—who met frequently to discuss the military's direction amidst electoral challenges. Baptista Junior notes that he explicitly told Bolsonaro he would not remain in office after January 1, 2023, maintaining that the Armed Forces would respect the election results and honor the incoming president.