His master's voice? Jair Bolsonaro posts video of himself watching Trump rant

Brazil’s president was accused of kowtowing with his 73-minute Facebook live stream but some see method in his obsequiousness

Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent
Fri 7 Feb 2020 12.56 EST

He has long styled himself as a tropical Trump – a socialist-skewering hardman fighting Brazilian carnage.

But in recent weeks Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has taken his fixation with the US leader to new heights, livestreaming himself on Facebook as he watched his political idol in action.

The latest such appearance came on Thursday as Trump celebrated his acquittal by the Senate in his impeachment trial with a vitriolic and vulgar address to the nation.

More than 4,000 miles to the south, at the heart of Brazil’s very own political swamp, Bolsonaro sat down to watch – filming himself viewing Trump’s entire hour-long address and offering the occasional aside to the camera, hailing his North American hero or berating foes in politics and the press.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/07/jair-bolsonaro-video-watching-trump-rant