Like Trump, Brazil’s Bolsonaro threatens ‘lying media’
Brazil president-elect Jair Bolsonaro appears to have an agenda like US President Donald Trump, quickly picking on Brazil’s critical media and tagging them ‘lying media’.
In an interview with Globo TV, he said he would withdraw government advertising from media outlets he deemed to be “lying”.
In an interview on Globo TV’s national evening news, Bolsonaro also said he would like crusading anti-graft judge Sergio Moro to become his justice minister and eventually, take a seat on the Supreme Court when an opening arose.
The press is not the only target of Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former Army captain.
He also said he would press ahead with loosening gun laws this year and plans to visit Washington D.C. after a friendly call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Bolsonaro, who early in his legislative career declared he was “in favour” of dictatorships and demanded that Congress be disbanded, has vowed to adhere to democratic principles while holding up a copy of the country’s constitution.
Trump said he had an “excellent call” congratulating Bolsonaro and tweeted about their plans to “work closely together on trade, military and everything else!”
Markets had surged on Bolsonaro’s ascent in opinion polls, as he pledged to quickly close Brazil’s gaping budget deficit and privatize state firms. Investors said further gains will hinge on clearer signs he can deliver on a market-friendly agenda.
His election alarmed critics around the globe, however, given his defense of Brazil’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, vows to sweep away leftist political opponents, and a track record of denigrating comments about gays, women and minorities.
Bolsonaro’s victory brings Brazil’s military back into the political limelight after it spent three decades in the barracks following the country’s return to civilian rule. Several retired generals will serve as ministers and close advisers.
“You are all my witnesses that this government will defend the constitution, of liberty and of God,” Bolsonaro said in a Facebook live video in his first comments after his victory.
The president-elect’s future chief of staff told Reuters his first international trip would be to Chile, another South American nation that swung to the political right in recent elections, and soon after that he hoped to visit the United States.
An outspoken Trump admirer, Bolsonaro also vowed to realign Brazil with more advanced economies, such as the United States, overhauling diplomatic priorities after nearly a decade and a half of leftist party rule.
Bolsonaro won the presidential race handily despite scarce campaign resources and no support from major parties as he tapped into Brazilians’ anger over corruption and crime.
