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Associated Press

US President Donald Trump welcomes a South American admirer to the White House on Tuesday.
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics”, is visiting Washington to talk trade, the Venezuela crisis, Chinese influence in South Africa – and perhaps how his campaigning and governing style mirrors that of the American president.
Here are five things you should know about the new Brazilian leader and his trip north:

1. He’s a Trump fan
Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, was elected president of Latin America’s largest and most populous nation last fall on an anti-corruption and pro-gun agenda.
Bolsonaro, 63, ran as an outsider who is unafraid to speak his mind and shake up the establishment. Echoing Trump’s calls to “Make America Great Again”, he campaigned on a nationalist slogan of “Brazil before everything, and God above all”.
Like Trump, he’s a hardliner on immigration (he once complained that “the scum of the Earth” was showing up in Brazil), dismisses bad press coverage as “fake news” and has an affinity for Twitter.

2. He’s controversial
Bolsonaro has appalled critics and thrilled supporters with his views on abortion, the environment, immigration, race, women and more. He was charged with hate speech by Brazil’s attorney general and was stabbed and nearly died while campaigning for the presidency.
In one of his more controversial remarks, he told Playboy magazine in 2011: “I would not be able to love a gay son. I would rather he die in an accident.”
Brazil leader woos Trump with rocket deal, dines with Bannon
He once denigrated a fellow lawmaker by saying: “She’s not my type. I would never rape her. I’m not a rapist, but if I were, I wouldn’t rape her because she doesn’t deserve it.”
He told a Brazilian newspaper in 2018 how he spent the housing allowance he received as a congressman: “Since I was a bachelor at the time, I used the money to have sex with people.”

3. Why is he in the US?
Bolsonaro’s visit to Washington may be more political than anything. He is hoping to assuage voters who drove his election: ultra-conservative nationalists who are aligned with the religious right in the US.
“He’s looking to appease and placate his base,” said Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Outrage after Brazil’s president tweets sexually explicit video
Steve Bannon, the former Trump political adviser, has spoken with Bolsonaro during his trip to Washington, and has said the two are in the vanguard of a movement to promote nationalism.
“They’re very similar,” he said. “It’s about economic growth and making their countries great again.”

4. What’s on the agenda?
Bolsonaro and Trump will meet privately in the Oval Office and then have a working lunch in which they are expected to talk about trade and the Venezuelan crisis, among other things.
The Trump administration sees Bolsonaro’s visit as a chance to remake the relationship between the two countries and create a “North-South axis” on economic issues as well as regional and international foreign policy affairs.
Brazil wants the US to grant it “major non-Nato ally” status, which would help the country buy military equipment and technology. The US wants permission to allow commercial space launches from a site in Brazil.

5. Turmoil in Venezuela
US officials also are hoping Brazil can help them deal with the ongoing political turmoil in Venezuela.
Brazil has sided with the Trump administration in recognising National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela and in trying to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of office.
Brazil has allowed the US to position humanitarian aid for Venezuela along Brazil’s northern border. Brazil’s military still has a good relationship with the Venezuelan military. US officials believe Brazil could act as an intermediary with the Venezuelan military and could encourage them to protect civilians and pressure Maduro to step down.


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Donald Trump

‘Trump of the Tropics’: five things you should know about Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro’s visit with Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump (right) and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speak at a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

epa07443517 Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro participate in a march against the alleged 'cyber attack' to Venezuelan electric system, in Caracas, Venezuela, 16 March 2019. EPA-EFE/RAYNER PENA

epa07300673 Protesters carry a banner with the words "Kill Bolsonaro with his own weapons" during a demonstration against the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Bern, Switzerland, 19 January 2019. The WEF will take place from 22 -25 January 2019 in Davos. EPA-EFE/PETER KLAUNZER

Handout picture released by the Brazilian Presidency showing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (R) and US President Donald Trump's former strategist Stephen Bannon during a meeting with right-wing influencers at the Brazil embassy in Washington DC, United States, on March 17, 2019. - Bolsonaro arrived in Washington on Sunday to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump and cement a budding conservative-populist alliance. (Photo by Alan SANTOS / Brazilian Presidency / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / BRAZILIAN PRESIDENCY / ALAN SANTOS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

epa07449003 US President Donald J. Trump (R) and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (L) arrive to hold a joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 19 March 2019. Bolsonaro, a right-wing nationalist who earned the nickname the 'Trump of the Tropics,' met with President Trump for bilateral negotiations and a joint press conference. EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Jair Bolsonaro gestures after being stabbed in the stomach during a campaign rally in Juiz de Fora, Brazil on September 6. Photo: AFP

Brazil leader Jair Bolsonaro woos Donald Trump, opens base to US rockets, visits CIA and dines with Steve Bannon

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Steve Bannon in Washington DC. Photo: AFP

(FILES) This file picture taken on September 14, 2018 shows the rocket launch tower at Alcantara Launch Center (CLA), a satellite launching facility of the Brazilian Space Agency operated by the Brazilian Air Force, in Alcantara, Maranhao State, Brazil. - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrived in Washington on March 17, 2019 to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump. The two leaders are scheduled to sign three agreements, one of which is expected to be the granting of technological safeguards for the US to use the satellite launching base in Alcantara, an idea that has angered sectors of Brazilian nationalists who view it as a potential loss of sovereignty. (Photo by EVARISTO SA / AFP)

Shock and outrage after Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tweets sexually explicit video

epa07414505 Members of the samba school of the Grupo Especial Especial Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel take part in the traditional carnival parade at Marques de Sapucai sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early 05 March 2019. The samba schools of the Rio de Janeiro Special Groups begin their parades on Sunday at the sambadrome, considered the main attraction of the carnival in Brazil and the greatest outdoor show in the world. EPA-EFE/Antonio Lacerda

Giant doll depicting Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro, front, and first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, are paraded during carnival celebrations in Olinda, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Diego Herculano)

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro reacts during an inauguration ceremony of the new president of the Parliamentary Agricultural Front (FPA) in Brasilia, Brazil February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo

A member of the Paraiso do Tuiuti samba school performs during the second night of Rio's Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: AFP

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Controversial South American president is visiting Washington to talk trade, the Venezuela crisis and China’s influence in South Africa


Controversial South American president is visiting Washington to talk trade, the Venezuela crisis and China’s influence in South Africa.


Americas and the Caribbean

Diplomacy

Venezuela

‘Trump of the Tropics’: five things you should know about Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro’s visit with Donald Trump

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Controversial South American president is visiting Washington to talk trade, the Venezuela crisis and China’s influence in South Africa

Controversial South American president is visiting Washington to talk trade, the Venezuela crisis and China’s influence in South Africa