Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro received loud applause on Saturday at the annual high mass of American conservatives, displaying his closeness to Donald Trump and expressing doubts about his defeat against Lula.
Based in Florida since the end of December, the 67-year-old Brazilian judged that his relationship with the former Republican president was “simply exceptional” on the last day of CPAC, a major political convention organized this week in the suburbs of Washington.
Speaking to a packed house through a translator, he touched on all the themes dear to the American right, from the rights of transgender people, to criticism of the Covid vaccine, to the socialist “threat”. .
Mr Bolsonaro, sometimes dubbed “the Trump of the Tropics”, also questioned his presidential defeat in October. “I had more support in 2022 than in 2018 and I don’t understand why the numbers say otherwise,” he said to the cheers of the assembly.
Likewise, Donald Trump, who is due to speak later today, persists in questioning the victory of his Democratic rival Joe Biden in 2020.
The Brazilian, ex-army captain, took refuge in the United States on December 30, just before Lula’s inauguration on January 1, refusing as tradition dictates to hand over the presidential sash to his successor.
On January 8, he belatedly and lip servicedly denounced the assault by his supporters on institutions in Brasilia. Although he denies any responsibility, he is being investigated by his country’s Supreme Court to determine his role in the attack.
However, he recently indicated that he wanted to return to his country. “I feel that my mission is not over,” he said on Saturday.
04/03/2023 22:15:10 – National Harbor (United States) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
