On Tuesday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro met with President Donald Trump at the White House, where the two leaders signaled a new relationship for the countries based on their shared goals of defeating socialism, improving trade, and exposing fake news.
Trump started off by congratulating Bolsonaro on his election victory. “Last October was an incredible feat,” Trump said. “And really a truly incredible challenge and the end result was something the whole world was talking about.”
Trump predicted that they would “have a fantastic working relationship” and noted that they “have many views that are similar.”
“I think Brazil’s relationship with the United States because of our friendship is probably better than it’s ever been by far,” Trump stated.
Trump also thanked Bolsonaro and the people of Brazil for providing aid to those suffering under the socialist dictatorship in Venezuela. “I also want to express our profound gratitude to President Bolsonaro and all the Brazilian people for their effort to provide humanitarian aid,” he stated. “We also thank you for allowing the United States to station extensive assistance and massive aid on the Brazilian border. The Brazilian people have been incredible.”
Trump then turned to socialism, declaring “the twilight hour of socialism has arrived in our hemisphere.”
“Hopefully, by the way, it’s also arrived — that twilight hour — in our great country,”Trump added, referencing a rise in Democrats identifying themselves as democratic socialists.
“The last thing we want in the United States is socialism,” Trump emphasized.
Prior to Bolsonaro taking office, Brazil was controlled by a socialist administration and Bolsonaro — who ran against several socialists — was seen as “one of Brazil’s last hopes against socialism,” The Daily Wire previously noted.
During their 25 minute joint press conference, Trump also said he intends to designate Brazil as a major non-NATO ally — a status that would allow Brazil to have easier access to the purchase of U.S. military equipment. Trump added that he would possibly support Brazil becoming a NATO ally, though there is some dispute if Brazil would even qualify.
Trump also stressed that he and Bolsonaro share views on economics and trade. “In our meetings, we also discussed the strong economic ties between our nations grounded in the principles of fairness and reciprocity — my favorite word, reciprocity. President Bolsonaro and I are both committed to reducing trade barriers, facilitating investment, and supporting innovation across a range of industries, particularly energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and technology,” he said.
Trump applauded Bolsonaro’s capitalist views, stating that American companies are “ready to go” and invest in Brazil when Bolsonaro accomplishes his vision of “freeing the private sector and opening the economy.”
When it was Bolsonaro’s turn to speak, he invited Trump to visit Brazil, assuring him he would “be very welcomed by the Brazilian people,” adding that he has “always admired” the U.S. but that his sense of admiration increased when Trump took office.
Bolsonaro earned the nickname “Trump of the Tropics” for his similarities to Trump, including disliking political correctness and running a campaign that highly relied on social media as opposed to the mainstream media.
“Today,” he said, “Brazil has a president who is not anti-America, which is unprecedented in the past few decades.” The two countries “are tied by the guarantee of liberty, respect for the traditional family, the fear of God our creator, against gender identity, political correctness and fake news,” Reuters reported.
“Drawing inspiration from Ronald Reagan, I wish to bring to bring to Brazil his administration style, summarized with the following: ‘People should say what the government should do, and not the other way around,’” Bolsonaro said.
Establishing democracy in Venezuela is also “a shared interest” between the two countries, Bolsonaro stated.
While taking questions from reporters, Trump took a moment to recognize Bolsonaro’s son, Brazilian Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro.
“I see in the audience, the son of the president, who has been fantastic. Would you please stand up?” Trump said. “The job you’ve done during a very tough period of time is just fantastic, and I know your father appreciates it, that I can tell you.”
Eduardo has been a strong supporter of American conservatism. As The Daily Wire previously reported, Eduardo has Reagan and Trump statues in his offices, along with a picture frame displaying the text of the Second Amendment.
While answering a question, Bolsonaro told reporters he believed Trump would be reelected in 2020.
“Thank you, I agree,” Trump responded.
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