Trump Endorses Brazil’s Bolsonaro Who Has Already Declared Election Rigged As He Trails in the Polls

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Former President Donald Trump endorsed Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday praising the South American autocrat as the “Tropical Trump.”

“President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil,’Tropical Trump’ as he is affectionately called, has done a GREAT job for the wonderful people of Brazil,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social.

“When I was President of the U.S., there was no other country leader who called me more than Jair seeking Tariff & Tax cuts, Trade Renegotiations, Strengthened Drug & Border Policies (to put the “bad guys” in jail!), Military Help, & more. President Bolsonaro loves Brazil beyond all else. He is a wonderful man, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement!!!” Trump concluded.

Trump’s endorsement of a foreign leader for reelection is an odd move from a former president of the United States, but even more so given Bolsonaro’s unpopularity in Brazil and his controversial tenure as president.

Bolsonaro, who has publicly endorsed political violence, has repeatedly claimed the October 2nd election in Brazil is rigged against him. “He’s claimed multiple times — without evidence — that the electronic voting system is ripe for tampering,” Axios reported in July noting he “echoes Trump’s election fraud claims.”

The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday:

For months, Bolsonaro has been preempting his own expected loss in October’s presidential vote by borrowing from the playbook of former President Trump, whom he describes as his “idol” and with whom he shares several political advisors.

He has repeatedly criticized the integrity of Brazil’s voting system and has suggested that he may not accept the results of the election, which most polls predict he will lose decisively in a runoff with former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula.

Bolsonaro’s lackluster handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he downplayed, coupled with Brazil’s struggling economy has left him weakened politically and led to concerns he will not accept the results of the election and leave power peacefully.

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