President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, Another Alpha Male

[Hypocrite-The]

Macron furious after Jair Bolsonaro mocks his wife’s looks

‘Brazilian women are probably ashamed to read their president has done that,’ says French leader

• Jane Dalton @JournoJane
• 23 minutes ago
• {{^moreThanTen}}
• {{total}} comments
• {{/moreThanTen}}
• 25 comments

Click to follow
The Independent US

Emmanuel Macron has condemned his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro for "extraordinarily disrespectful comments" about his wife as a clash between the two over the Amazon turned personal.

In a post on Jair Bolsonaro's Facebook page, a user insulted the French first lady, Brigitte, by comparing her appearance with that of the Brazilian president's wife, Michelle, implying that the younger woman was more attractive.



The supporter suggested Mr Macron was jealous, and that that was why he was “persecuting” the Brazilian leader.

AD Quality Auto360p720p1080pTop articles1/5READ MOREUS Open 2019: Johanna Konta and Dan Evans safely through to second round after testing starts

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
From 15p€0.18$0.18USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

Subscribe now


Mr Bolsonaro hit “like” on the post, writing: "Don't humiliate the guy... ha ha."

When asked for his response by reporters at the G7 summit in Biarritz, Mr Macron said: “He has made some extraordinarily rude comments about my wife.




Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration
Show all 20

Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration


1/20
Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro waves as he drives past before his swear-in ceremony

Reuters



2/20
Supporters wait in front of the Planalto Palace, where he will take office

EPA



3/20
Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress before he is sworn

AFP/Getty



4/20
Supporters take pictures as Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro drives past

Reuters



5/20
Flanked by first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro waves to the crowd, as he rides in an open car after his swearing-in ceremony

AP



6/20
Jair Bolsonaro reacts as he drives past

Reuters



7/20
Reuters



8/20
The National Congress before Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is sworn in

AFP/Getty



9/20
Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress

AFP/Getty



10/20
Reuters



11/20
AP



12/20
AFP/Getty



13/20
EPA



14/20
AFP/Getty



15/20
AFP/Getty



16/20
Reuters



17/20
Reuters



18/20
AFP/Getty



19/20
AFP/Getty



20/20
AFP/Getty





1/20
Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro waves as he drives past before his swear-in ceremony

Reuters



2/20
Supporters wait in front of the Planalto Palace, where he will take office

EPA



3/20
Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress before he is sworn

AFP/Getty



4/20
Supporters take pictures as Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro drives past

Reuters






5/20
Flanked by first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro waves to the crowd, as he rides in an open car after his swearing-in ceremony

AP



6/20
Jair Bolsonaro reacts as he drives past

Reuters



7/20
Reuters



8/20
The National Congress before Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is sworn in

AFP/Getty






9/20
Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress

AFP/Getty



10/20
Reuters



11/20
AP



12/20
AFP/Getty






13/20
EPA



14/20
AFP/Getty



15/20
AFP/Getty



16/20
Reuters






17/20
Reuters



18/20
AFP/Getty



19/20
AFP/Getty



20/20
AFP/Getty



"What can I tell you? It's sad. It's sad for him and for Brazilians. I think that Brazilian women are probably ashamed to read that their president has done that."

"I think that Brazilians, a great people, are a bit ashamed of this behaviour," the French president added. "As I have a lot of friendship and respect for the Brazilian people, I hope that they will quickly have a president who is up to the job."



Read more

• 
  Brazil’s president rages at ‘colonial’ G7 for £16m Amazon fires pledge
• 
  Amazon tribe’s survival threatened by Bolsonaro’s construction plans
• 
  Jair Bolsonaro is accused of ignoring environmental destruction
• 
  Jair Bolsonaro is actively trying to devastate the Amazon rainforest

And he claimed Mr Bolsonaro had gone back on a promise to halt deforestation, threatening to no longer support the EU’s Mercosur deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Mr Bolsonaro had missed a scheduled meeting with the French foreign minister in favour of a barber’s appointment, Mr Macron added.



The spat illustrated the ill-feeling between the two men that has deepened since fires have swept through the Amazon this month, destroying vast swathes of forest, killing wildlife and deepening the climate emergency.

Their clash is seen as the worst diplomatic crisis between France and Brazil in 40 years.

Independent news email
Only the best news in your inbox

Independent news email
Only the best news in your inbox

Enter your email addressContinueContinuePlease enter an email addressEmail address is invalidFill out this fieldEmail address is invalidEmail already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences
Register with your social account or click here to log in

I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email

Update newsletter preferences

Mr Macron has been highly critical of Brazil’s handling of the crisis, tweeting: “Our house is literally on fire”.





He said that the French overseas territory of French Guiana on the northern coast of South America is France’s biggest land border, so the Amazon was particularly important for France because “we are there”.

Mr Bolsonaro attacked Macron for having a “colonialist mentality”, tweeting that "ludicrous and unnecessary attacks on the Amazon" were unacceptable.

Brazilian politicians, including Mr Bolsonaro's son Eduardo, have taken pot shots at Mr Macron, with education minister Abraham Weintraub calling him "an opportunist idiot" and "a president without character" in a flurry of tweets.




Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is tipped to be the next ambassador to Washington, on Friday retweeted a video showing violent yellow-vest protests in France headlined "Macron is an idiot”.

In 2017, Mr Bolsonaro caused anger when he said: “I have five children. Four are men, and then in a moment of weakness the fifth came out a girl.”

Additional reporting by agencies

 

[Hypocrite-The]

'What are you afraid of?': Recovered from COVID-19, Brazil President Bolsonaro says nothing to fear
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, seen here showing off a box of the drug hydroxychloroquine to
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, seen here showing off a box of hydroxychloroquine to supporters outside presidential palace in Brasilia said nearly everyone will probably get the coronavirus, just like he did AFP/EVARISTO SA
01 Aug 2020 08:35AM
Bookmark
RIO DE JANEIRO: Fresh off a bout of COVID-19, President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday (Jul 31) nearly everyone will probably end up catching the new coronavirus, urging Brazilians to "face up to it" and saying there was nothing to fear.

The far-right leader's latest bid to downplay the pandemic came as Brazil closed in on the grim milestone of 100,000 people killed by the virus, the second-highest death toll in the world, after the United States.

Bolsonaro, who is just coming off three weeks in quarantine with a case of the virus, pointed to his own case as an example.

READ: Brazil doctors volunteer to test coronavirus vaccines
"I'm in the high-risk group," the 65-year-old president told journalists during a visit to the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

"I knew I was going to catch it someday, as I think unfortunately nearly everyone here is going to catch it eventually. What are you afraid of? Face up to it," he said.

"I regret the deaths. But people die every day, from lots of things. That's life."

READ: Brazil President Bolsonaro's wife, minister test positive for COVID-19
Bolsonaro has faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic as it has surged in Brazil, the country with the second-highest number of cases and deaths in the world: More than 2.6 million and 92,000, respectively.

Bolsonaro, who has compared the virus to a "little flu," has fought stay-at-home measures to contain it and regularly flouted social distancing guidelines, hitting the streets of Brasilia to exchange handshakes and hugs with supporters.

He tested positive for the virus on Jul 7 after coming down with a fever, and spent three weeks in isolation at the presidential palace.

READ: Brazil's Bolsonaro sticks to travel plan despite 'mold' in lungs
On Thursday, in his first public event since his illness, he greeted a crowd of supporters in the northeastern state of Piaui, removing his face mask to loud cheers.

The same day, the president's office announced his wife had tested positive for the virus.

Bolsonaro later revealed he was again feeling poorly and was taking antibiotics for an infection that he called "moldy lungs" caused by inactivity during his quarantine.

READ: Brazil reopens international flights to tourists even as COVID-19 deaths spike
Bolsonaro argues stay-at-home measures are needlessly hurting the economy.

He is instead pushing the drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the virus, and took it himself when he was infected, despite numerous studies finding it has no benefit against COVID-19.