Today: Bolsonaro tries to present himself as a moderate in televised address. Supreme Court rules that Moro was biased in Lula trial. Consumer trust takes a nosedive amid pandemic fears.
Bolsonaro lies as 3,200 Brazilians die
Exactly one year ago, Jair Bolsonaro gave a televised address with a grin on his face. He said there was no need to panic as the coronavirus began spreading in the country, killing just 12 people at that point. He compared Covid-19 to the sniffles and a “little flu,” adding that the virus “would pass quickly” and that “life must go on.”
- An entirely different Jair Bolsonaro talked to Brazilians on Tuesday night. Visibly uncomfortable, the president praised vaccines and showed solidarity with families who lost loved ones to the coronavirus. Just weeks earlier, he said the country should “stop whining.”
Why it matters. The president’s attempt to present himself as a more moderate and “human” figure is in direct response to growing dissatisfaction with his administration. Economic anxieties are reaching a boiling point, the virus is killing Brazilians in droves, health networks begin to collapse — and even allies are allowing themselves to criticize Mr. Bolsonaro, whose approval ratings are taking a nosedive.
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