Jair Bolsonaro spent most of his career on the political fringe, until his message started to resonate with a country reeling from economic hardship and a widespread corruption scandal.
President Trump welcomed Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, to the White House on Tuesday. We look at the back story of Mr. Bolsonaro, whose campaign tactics, incendiary rhetoric and brash style have earned him the nickname “Trump of the tropics.”
Standing next to Mr. Trump at the White House, Mr. Bolsonaro pledged that the United States and Brazil would “stand side by side in their efforts to ensure liberties and respect to traditional family lifestyles, respect to God our creator against the gender ideology or the politically correct attitudes, and against fake news.”
Mr. Bolsonaro has a long record of polarizing comments, but many Brazilians see in him the kind of disruptive, status quo-breaking potential that propelled Mr. Trump to victory in the United States.
Mr. Bolsonaro, who has vowed to clean up entrenched political corruption, is now fending off corruption allegations against his own administration.