webfact Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Trump forges bond with Brazil's Bolsonaro in White House visit By Lisandra Paraguassu and Roberta Rampton Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the conclusion of a joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil's new far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro forged a bond over their shared brand of conservative and populist politics on Tuesday, with Trump pledging to give more U.S. support to Brazil's global ambitions. In a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden, Trump said he told Bolsonaro he would designate Brazil a major non-NATO ally and possibly go further by supporting a campaign to make Brazil "maybe a NATO ally." Bolsonaro, a former army captain who rode to the presidency with a brash, anti-establishment campaign modelled on Trump's 2016 run, has declared himself an unabashed admirer of the U.S. president and the American way of life. He praised Trump for changing the United States in a way he said he hopes to change Brazil. "Brazil and the United States are tied by the guarantee of liberty, respect for the traditional family, the fear of God our creator, against gender identity, political correctness and fake news," Bolsonaro said, touching on themes that have inflamed his critics in Brazil concerned about his autocratic views. Nicknamed the 'Trump of the Tropics,' Bolsonaro rose to power praising the U.S.-backed military government that ran Brazil for two decades before a return to democracy in 1985. He moved quickly to ally Brazil closer to the United States, a shift in diplomatic priorities after over a decade of leftist party rule that had seen Brazil forging closer ties with regional allies. At Tuesday's news conference, the two presidents repeatedly rejected socialism, celebrating their joint efforts to oust Venezuela's left-wing leader, Nicolas Maduro. They showed an easy rapport, exchanging soccer jerseys from their national teams at the outset of their meeting in the Oval Office, with Trump's name emblazoned on Brazil's famous yellow shirt and Bolsonaro's on the USA uniform. The two also share a penchant for family politics, employing relations as some of their closest advisers. In the Rose Garden, Trump praised Bolsonaro's son Eduardo, a congressman who sported a Trump 2020 hat when visiting Washington last year. TRADE PROMISES As leaders of the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere, Trump and Bolsonaro also discussed how to increase trade and committed to reducing barriers. "Brazil makes great product and we make great product, and our trade has been never as good as it should be in the past. And in some cases it should be far, far more," Trump said. They struck initial agreements on agricultural trade, with better access for American wheat and pork exports to Brazil and the possibility of restarting sales of Brazilian fresh beef to the United States. Looming over their discussion was the fact that China, currently embroiled in a trade war with the United States, has eclipsed America in trade and investment with Brazil. Bolsonaro, who was critical of China in his campaign, announced hours after meeting Trump that he will visit the country in the second half of the year. Bolsonaro's Economy Minister, Paulo Guedes, on Monday urged the United States to open its market more to Brazil if it wanted to change the status quo. Trump also said he supported Brazil's efforts to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a club of wealthier nations sharing best practices on economic policy. But U.S. support would not come for free, according to Guedes. In exchange, the Americans asked Brazil to give up some benefits at the World Trade Organization (WTO), he told journalists earlier on Tuesday. Becoming a "major non-NATO ally" implies a status upgrade that gives a country preferential access to the purchase of U.S. military equipment and technology. Supporting Brazil for an association with NATO would be a considerable step further, one that Trump recognised would mean he would "have to talk to a lot of people." Colombia became in 2018 the only Latin American nation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as a "global partner," which means it will not necessarily have to take part in military action. In a Fox News interview on Monday, Bolsonaro threw his weight behind Trump's immigration agenda, which includes a wall on the Mexican border. "We do agree with President Trump's decision or proposal on the wall," Bolsonaro said, in remarks translated to English by the broadcaster. "The vast majority of potential immigrants do not have good intentions. They do not intend to do the best or do good to the U.S. people." His comments sparked an uproar at home and among Brazilians in the United States, forcing Bolsonaro to issue an apology. "I meant to say that a little part of the people who immigrate don't have good intentions and I made a mistake. I apologise for that," he said. (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Roberta Rampton, additional reporting by Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper; Writing by Marcelo Rochabrun and Mary Milliken; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Phil Berlowitz) -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Oh boy two wanna be dictators having a little bromance won’t little Kim get jealous oh that’s right little Kim is allready a murdering despot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonyt00 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Love at first sight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klauskunkel Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 a new romance... But what about Kim, and Putin, and Netanyahu, and ... This President is a stallion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 The USA and Brazil are natural allies. The type of wackadoo authoritarian demagogues leading both countries. Not so natural. Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkshire Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 5 hours ago, webfact said: "We do agree with President Trump's decision or proposal on the wall," Bolsonaro said, in remarks translated to English by the broadcaster. "The vast majority of potential immigrants do not have good intentions. They do not intend to do the best or do good to the U.S. people." Boy, Trump and his hardcore base will love this comment. But does Bolsonaro actually believe this? I understand that he wants to get on Trump's good side and will kiss his as* to do it. But what a mean and insanely inaccurate thing to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikcir Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 5 hours ago, webfact said: possibly go further by supporting a campaign to make Brazil "maybe a NATO ally." Unlikely. In recent years Brazil's defense budget has averaged about 1.5% of GDP With its Annual Growth Rate Below Expectations at 1.3%, https://tradingeconomics.com/articles/11302018121152.htm In 2017 it was 1.41% https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ms.mil.xpnd.gd.zs Brazil's defense spending through 2019 is just slightly higher than Italy. https://www.globalfirepower.com/defense-spending-budget.asp NATO target is 2% GDP but Trump wants NATO members to double spending to 4%. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/11/donald-trump-tells-nato-allies-to-spend-4-of-gdp-on-defence It's unlikely that Brazil can meet the 2% target set by NATO for defense spending much less Trump's target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Yes yes yes Mr President Bolsonaro, you can kiss that as much as you want, but first, we can use northern Brazil to stage up a massive invasion force to install a puppet government in venuzuala, right? someone must have slipped real tobacco into my wacky stash... this article made my head spin. ???????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkshire Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 4 minutes ago, farcanell said: Yes yes yes Mr President Bolsonaro, you can kiss that as much as you want, but first, we can use northern Brazil to stage up a massive invasion force to install a puppet government in venuzuala, right? some must have slipped real tobacco into my wacky stash... this article made my head spin. ???????????? 55555....Trump forgot to mention to Bolsonaro that when the US takes over Venezuela, it will keep the oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 6 hours ago, webfact said: I meant to say that a little part of the people who immigrate don't have good intentions and I made a mistake. I apologise for that," he said. Oops... backflip... slipped a disk!... I wonder if Fox will include this retraction in any news segments, following the earlier broadcast (below) claiming.... ???????????? 6 hours ago, webfact said: The vast majority of potential immigrants do not have good intentions. They do not intend to do the best or do good to the U.S. people." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkshire Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 41 minutes ago, farcanell said: 7 hours ago, webfact said: I meant to say that a little part of the people who immigrate don't have good intentions and I made a mistake. I apologise for that," he said. Oops... backflip... slipped a disk!... I wonder if Fox will include this retraction in any news segments, following the earlier broadcast (below) claiming.... ???????????? 7 hours ago, webfact said: The vast majority of potential immigrants do not have good intentions. They do not intend to do the best or do good to the U.S. people." I missed that at the end. Of course, it doesn't make any sense if he was trying to justify Trump's wall. Which makes him an accurate portrayal of Trump's mini-me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyezhov Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Brazil is a potential economic and geopolitical powerhouse that has been hampered by poor governments of the left and right. Lets hope that the USA and Brazil can continue to work together to grow strong economies for the benefit of both nations and the people of Latin America as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremiumLane Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 7 hours ago, webfact said: their shared brand of conservative and populist politics so that will be screwing the working class and more corporate power then, while giving the illusion you are doing something by scapegoating others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 DT getting more and more lessons in Third World quality corruption. Indonesia, and now Brazil. He looks on in envy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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