A far-right politician lost a presidential re-election and came to Florida instead of attending the successor’s inauguration, and supporters angrily stormed the capital and ransacked government offices out of a belief that the election was fraudulent.
Almost exactly two years previously, that would have been former president Donald Trump, although the riot took place before President Biden’s inauguration. Now it’s former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics.”
In scenes of chaos and destruction eerily reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, thousands of rioters clad in the colors of Brazil’s national flag on Sunday stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace and vandalized offices, furniture, doors and an iconic statue outside the court. The buildings were largely empty at the time. Newly elected and inaugurated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was on an official state trip to Sao Paulo.
Echo of Jan. 6 in Brazil:Brazil investigates after storming of Congress by backers of Bolsonaro, known as ‘Trump of Tropics’
Who is Jair Bolsonaro?
A controversial, deeply polarizing figure, former Brazilian president Jair Messias Bolsonaro, 67, has received worldwide notice for inflammatory statements against women, Black people, indigenous people and the LGBT community.
Bosonaro was born in Glicério, São Paulo, one of six brothers. He served as an artillery officer and as a paratrooper in the military and achieved the rank of captain but left the Army shortly after a controversy involving his openly pushing to raise serviceman’s pay.
Bolsonaro entered politics as a city councilor in Rio de Janeiro and went on to serve for 27 years in the Brazilian National Congress lower house where he became known for his views on abortion, the rainforest, 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.
He was elected president of Latin America’s largest and most populous nation in a runoff election in 2018 on an anti-corruption and pro-gun agenda, promising to restore “traditional values” and encourage police to shoot drug traffickers.
During his time as president Bosonaro issued executive orders potentially stripping away LGBTQ civil rights protection, relaxing or removing some gun control restrictions, stripping environmental funding and enforcement power and weakening indigenous land rights in favor of the agribusiness industry. The Amazon rainforest lost more 8.4 million acres from illegal logging during a period close to his first three years in office.
Bolsonaro strongly downplayed the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic and fought against lockdowns, continuing to attend large political rallies and shaking hands with supporters. He replaced two health ministers who publicly disagreed with him, stopped releasing COVID death numbers and touted chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as treatments even Brazil saw the world’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll, after the U.S..
Boslonaro has built up a fiercely loyal base by promoting what he claims to be traditional values, mocking political correctness and presenting himself as a shield against leftist policies he says infringe on personal liberties and hurt businesses.
Bolsonaro and COVID:Crimes against humanity charge recommended against President Bolsonaro for Brazil’s COVID-19 deaths
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Why is Jair Bolsonaro controversial?
Bolsonaro is not afraid to say what he thinks, which delights supporters and appalls critics. He has repeatedly praised Brazil’s decades of military dictatorship and praised an Army officer convicted of torture during that period as a “national hero.” He frequently makes outrageous comments against the “politically incorrect.” He has been repeatedly sued for his remarks against journalists and has been fined in court.
He told an audience that he had a daughter in a “moment of weakness” after having four sons, and told Playboy magazine in 2011: “I would not be able to love a gay son. I would rather he die in an accident.”
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.”
Bolsonaro’s government was implicated in allegations of corruption, leading to a parliamentary inquiry into the handling of the COVID pandemic. Bolsonaro held rallies to support his attack on Brazil’s Supreme Court after a justice jailed several of his supporters for allegedly financing, organizing or inciting violence or anti-democratic acts, or disseminating false information.
During one rally in Sao Paulo, he told the cheering crowd, “I want to tell those who want to make me unelectable in Brazil: Only God removes me from there.“
“There are three options for me: be jailed, killed or victorious. I’m letting the scoundrels know: I’ll never be imprisoned!” he declared.
In his words:Brazil’s new President Jair Bolsonaro has said many offensive things
In Bolsonaro in Florida? Where is Jair Bolsonaro now?
Bolsonaro reportedly came to Florida at the end of December, hours after addressing the country on his social media and saying he wasn’t able to prevent his departure from office. The official gazette said that Bolsonaro was headed to Florida, and that several officials were given permission to accompany “the future ex-president” to Miami between Jan. 1 and Jan. 30, to offer “advice, security and personal support.”
By leaving, Bolsonaro broke tradition by skipping the inauguration and peacefully transferring power to Lula.
According to flight tracking websites, the Brazilian military’s official airplane left the capital, Brasilia for Orlando on Dec. 30, two days before Lula officially become president. Bolsonaro has been staying at a vacation home in a gated community near Walt Disney World, reportedly belonging to retired Brazilian UFC fighter Jose Aldo.
Bolsonaro’s lawmaker son Eduardo Bolsonaro has held several meetings with former President Donald Trump, Trump’s longtime ally Steve Bannon and his senior campaign adviser, Jason Miller.
Was Jair Bolsonaro spotted in Public and KFC?
Supporters have flocked to the area for a chance to see him, gathering for autographs and pictures whenever Bolsonaro has made a public appearance. The former president reportedly was spotted eating alone at a local KFC on the day of Lula’s inauguration, and later wandering the aisles at a local Publix supermarket.
Bolsonaro in Florida:As Brazil reels from riots, Jair Bolsonaro finds home in Florida in the shadow of Disney
Is Jair Bolsonaro in the hospital?
On Monday, O Globo reporter Lauro Jardim reported that Bolsonaro has been admitted to AdventHealth Celebration outside Orlando, claiming to have severe abdominal pain.
Bolsonaro has had multiple surgeries since he was stabbed in the abdomen during Brazil’s 2018 presidential campaign, which caused intestinal damage and serious internal bleeding. In July of 2021 he was admitted to the Armed Forces Hospital in Braslia for tests regarding the need for emergency surgery. In January 2022 he was hospitalized again for an intestinal obstruction.
Contributors: Kim Hjelmgaard, Mariana Simoes, USA TODAY
C. A. Bridges is a Digital Producer for the USA TODAY Network, working with multiple newsrooms across Florida. Local journalists work hard to keep you informed about the things you care about, and you can support them by subscribing to your local news organization. Read more articles by Chris here and follow him on Twitter at @cabridges
