‘The Donald Trump of Brazil’ Soars in the Polls

Jair Bolsonaro hears what they say about him: “the Donald Trump of Brazil,” he says with a wry smile. Asked if he thinks the label is fitting, he demurs. He’s not a populist, he goes on to say, and the country wouldn’t stand for another one right now anyway.

But in an hour-long interview at Bloomberg headquarters in New York, Bolsonaro, the firebrand, former army captain who’s soaring in polls 12 months ahead of Brazil’s presidential election, reels off any number of policy positions and opinions that, if not populist, are certainly unorthodox. Like denying that the Brazilian military regime in the late 20th century was a dictatorship; or calling China “heartless” and suggesting restricting its access to key industries in Brazil; or claiming he will run his entire presidential campaign on a budget of just 1 million reais ($315,000).