Trump sees a lot to like in Brazil’s far-right leader
WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump got right to the point of why he was pleased to welcome Brazil’s new far-right leader for a showy White House visit Tuesday: It’s good to be liked, and maybe even better to be imitated.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro “has done a very outstanding job, ran one of the incredible campaigns; somebody said it a little bit reminded them of our campaign, which I’m honored by,” Trump said as he and the fellow pro-business populist sat for pictures in the Oval Office.
For Trump, the rise of a South American political admirer offers both real economic and geopolitical advantages, and a measure of sweet revenge against critics who call both men crass race-baiters. Bolsonaro has embraced his nickname as the “Trump of the Tropics.”
“We do have a great deal of shared values. I admire President Donald Trump,” Bolsonaro said, before the two leaders exchanged gifts of soccer jerseys with one another’s names on the backs.
Bolsonaro rode a populist wave of anger over crime, corruption and inefficiency to replace a left-leaning government that had sometimes frosty relations with Washington. He campaigned on turning the relationship around, repeatedly praised Trump and welcomed comparisons to him as a straight-talking champion of the little guy.
Bolsonaro has cribbed from the Trump playbook to demonize opponents and embrace the online megaphone of Twitter, where he now regularly invokes Trump’s signature “fake news” smear against media coverage he considers unfair.
Holding a Rose Garden news conference with Bolsonaro on Tuesday, Trump said he is “very proud to hear the president use the term ‘fake news.’ ”
Trump was the first foreign leader to call Bolsonaro after his election victory in October, and tweeted enthusiastic congratulations.
On Tuesday, Trump and Bolsonaro gushed about the possibilities for partnership after decades of what Bolsonaro called “anti-American” leadership, and shared goals of expanded trade, an upgraded military relationship and a new agreement for U.S. use of Brazil’s space launch facility.
They agreed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should cede power, and Bolsonaro endorsed Trump’s implied threat of military action.
“I think I can speak for both countries, all options are on the table,” Trump said.
Trump speaks for both leaders in other ways, too, as Bolsonaro seemed happy to point out during their joint news conference.
“We want to have a great America, yes, and we want to have a great Brazil too,” a smiling Bolsonaro said through an interpreter.
Trump did not disagree as Bolsonaro said that, “Brazil and the United States stand side by side in their efforts to ensure liberty and respect for traditional family lifestyles with respect to God.” He added that they are also united “against politically correct attitudes and against fake news.”
Like Trump, Bolsonaro has a polarizing history of commentary that critics call xenophobic, anti-immigrant, misogynist and homophobic. As a candidate he defended his country’s former military dictatorship and said he would rather have “a dead son than a gay one.”