Jair Bolsonaro lauds ‘traditional family lifestyles’ during White House visit
Alex Wong/Getty
Brazil’s anti-LGBT president Jair Bolsonaro has said that his country stands “side-by-side” with the US in their efforts to respect “traditional family lifestyles.”
Speaking at a press conference with US president Donald Trump during his first visit to the White House, Bolsonaro said that they must stand together against “fake news” and “politically correct attitudes.”
Both Trump and Bolsonaro addressed a crowd of gathered journalists at a press conference at the White House today, with Trump saying he was thrilled to welcome the far-right Brazilian president.
Donald Trump says he and Jair Bolsonaro ‘have many views that are similar’
He also congratulated Bolsonaro on his “tremendous” election victory, and said he expects they will work well together as they “have many views that are similar.”
Bolsonaro said that Brazil and the United States would stand together to “ensure liberties in respect to traditional family lifestyles, in respect to God our creator, against the politically correct attitudes and against fake news.”
“I’m very proud to hear the president use the term ‘fake news.’”
– Donald Trump
Trump praised Bolsonaro for his comments about fake news, saying: “You look at the networks, you look at the news, you look at the newscasts – I call it fake news.
“I’m very proud to hear the president use the term ‘fake news.’”
Alex Wong/Getty
Trump ended the press conference abruptly and the two presidents walked inside. Reporters could be heard in the background shouting questions at the men as they walked away.
Jair Bolsonaro: ‘I would be incapable of loving a gay son’
This is Bolsonaro’s first trip to the White House to meet with President Trump since he was elected. The two presidents are often compared for having similar policies, with Bolsonaro often referred to as “Trump of the Tropics.”
The anti-LGBT president was elected last October in a devastating blow to the country’s LGBT+ community.
He once described himself as “homophobic and very proud of it,” and in 2011, told Playboy that he would rather his son die than be gay.
“Brazil and the United States stand side-by-side in their efforts to ensure liberty, and respect the traditional family lifestyles and respect for God, against the politically correct attitudes and against fake news.”
– Jair Bolsonaro
“I would be incapable of loving a gay son. I prefer that he die in an accident,” he said.
During his presidential campaign, Bolsonaro also reiterated that he would punch a gay couple if he saw them kissing in public.
In an attempt to defend the comments, Bolsonaro compared gay people kissing to “a paedophile’s right to have sex with a two-year-old.”
Jair Bolsonaro has pledged to remove references to LGBT+ people from school textbooks
Bolsonaro’s White House visit was announced earlier this month. A statement said that he and Trump were set to discuss how to “build a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere.”
Last month, Bolsonaro pledged to remove any references to LGBT+ people from school textbooks and exams in Brazil.
His government said they would remove all mentions of homosexuality, feminism and violence against women from these texts.
“We do agree with President Trump’s decision of proposal on the wall.”
– Jair Bolsonaro
Earlier today, the Guardian reported that Bolsonaro has endorsed Trump’s immigration agenda and has said he supports a wall on the US-Mexico border.
Speaking to Fox News, he said: “We do agree with President Trump’s decision of proposal on the wall. The vast majority of potential immigrants do not have good intentions. They do not intend to do the best or do good to the US people.”
