Jair Bolsonaro rode a Trump-like wave of populist anger to topple a left-wing government, and reaps rewards at the White House.
By Anne Gearan Anne Gearan White House reporter Email Bio Follow March 19 at 6:03 PM President 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.
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.
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. Like Trump, Bolsonaro has a polarizing history of commentary that critics call xenophobic, anti-immigrant, misogynistic 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.”
“The last thing we want in the United States is socialism,” Trump said, in a reference to policies endorsed by many of his Democratic challengers that Republicans allege are socialist. “I know exactly what I want to happen in Venezuela, but we’re going to be talking about different things. All options are on the table,” Trump said.
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