President hails ‘Trump of Tropics’
Bolsonaro’s style puts Brazil in good graces
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will work to designate Brazil a “major NON-NATO ally” as he welcomed the country’s new leader to the White House.
Jair Bolsonaro, who’s been described as the “Trump of the Tropics,” ran on an unabashedly pro-american platform, emulating Trump in tone and in style. It’s a position that seemed to pay off for the leader on his first official trip to Washington.
As they sat down for the first time, Trump praised Bolsonaro, saying he’d done “a very outstanding job” so far and hailed his run as “one of the incredible campaigns.”
Trump said he was “honored” Bolsonaro’s campaign had drawn comparisons with his own 2016 victory. And he predicted the two would have a “fantastic working relationship,” telling reporters at a joint press conference that they have “many views” in common. The two also exchanged soccer jerseys in a sign of friendship.
Bolsonaro has made clear he wants to strengthen military and economic ties with the U.S., and Trump appeared eager to deliver, announcing that he would back Brazil’s effort’s to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Trump also told reporters he intends to designate Brazil as “a major NON-NATO ally” or “even, possibly, if you start thinking about it, maybe a NATO ally,” though he said he’d “have to talk to a lot of people” for Brazil to join the organization.
Brazil, the largest and most populous nation in Latin America, has pursued becoming a NON-NATO ally to make it easier to buy U.S. weapons and lower barriers for military and other cooperation.
But James Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral who was the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO from 2009 to 2013, said Brazil does not qualify for full membership under the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949.
Standing side-by-side in the White House Rose Garden, Bolsonaro told Trump the U.S. and Brazil stand together in support of “liberties,” including “traditional family lifestyle,” and “against the gender ideology or the politically incorrect attitudes and against fake news.”
“I’m very proud to hear the president use the term ‘fake news’,” Trump later remarked.
Bolsonaro succeeded a leftist who at times had a frosty relationship with the United States. In 2013, leaks from Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency had wiretapped conversations of former President Dilma Rousseff, leading to several years of tense relations between the U.S. and Brazil.