• Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician criticized for at-times misogynistic, homophobic, and militaristic views, was elected president of Brazil in October.
  • Bolsonaro was at the White House on Tuesday.
  • He’s been dubbed the “Brazilian Donald Trump” and has vowed to make Brazil “great” again.

Jair Bolsonaro, an incendiary far-right politician criticized for at-times unabashed misogynistic, homophobic, and militaristic views, visited with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

Ahead of his visit with Trump, the controversial Brazilian leader praised the president’s divisive plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

“We do agree with President Trump’s decision or proposal on the wall,” Bolsonaro told Fox News on Monday night. “The vast majority of potential immigrants do not have good intentions. They do not intend to do the best or do good to the US people.”

Bolsonaro and Trump have repeatedly praised one another and their friendship appears to be growing.

"I'm willing to open my heart up to him and do whatever is good, to the benefit of both the Brazilian and the American people," Bolsonaro said in the Fox News interview.

'The Brazilian Donald Trump'

Bolsonaro, a member of the Social Liberal Party who's been dubbed the "Brazilian Donald Trump," won roughly 46% of the vote in the first round of Brazil's presidential election in September. He was only a few percentage points shy of winning the outright majority necessary to become the next president.

But the far-right politician ultimately defeated the Workers Party candidate, Fernando Haddad, winning 55.2% of the votes in October's run-off election and securing his position as the next leader of South America's largest economy.

"We cannot continue flirting with socialism, communism, populism and leftist extremism ... We are going to change the destiny of Brazil," Bolsonaro said in his acceptance speech.

In a January speech in New Orleans, Louisiana, Trump alluded to the comparisons that have been made between him and Brazil's new leader.

"They say he's the Donald Trump of South America. Do you believe that? And he's happy with that," Trump said at the time. "If he wasn't, I wouldn't like the country so much."

Who is Jair Bolsonaro?

Bolsonaro, a former army captain who's served as a congressman for over 20 years, has a long history of courting controversy and is a deeply divisive figure in Brazilian politics.

He's frequently come under fire for controversial remarks about gay people, women, and minorities:

  • In 2011, for example, Bolsonaro told Playboy magazine he would "be incapable of loving a homosexual son."
  • "I won't be a hypocrite: I prefer a son to die in an accident than show up with a mustachioed guy. He'd be dead to me anyway," Bolsonaro said.
  • He was also criticized in 2014 after suggesting a female colleague in congress was too ugly to be raped.
  • "She doesn't deserve to be raped, because she's very ugly," Bolsonaro said at the time. "She's not my type. I would never rape her. I'm not a rapist, but if I were, I wouldn't rape her because she doesn't deserve it."
  • Bolsonaro also once described Afro-Brazilians as lazy and fat, and he has called refugees from Haiti, Africa, and the Middle East as the "scum of humanity."
  • And back in the early 1990s, he suggested he was in favor of a dictatorship.
  • Years later, in 2015 he defended the brutal dictatorship that presided over Brazil from 1964 to 1985, which was responsible for numerous atrocities.
  • More recently, Bolsonaro in September suggested his political opponents should be shot. The same week, Bolsonaro was stabbed along the campaign trail, an incident that saw his poll numbers rise.

Last fall, Bolsonaro refused to apologize for his controversial rhetoric and said he can't just become the "peace and love candidate."

Bolsonaro's Trump-like rhetoric has made him popular among many Brazilians

Rampant corruption, an ongoing recession, and rising rates of violent crime have contributed to some Brazilians embracing Bolsonaro and his hardline stances on an array of issues.

Much like Trump in the US, Bolsonaro has painted a picture of Brazil as a nation in decline. He has pledged to make the largest and most powerful country in South America "great" again by ridding its politics of corruption.

In a live broadcast on Facebook earlier this month, Bolsonaro said, "Let's make Brazil Great! Let's be proud of our homeland once again!" The presidential hopeful's bombastic use of social media is also part of the reason he's been compared to Trump.

To restore law and order, Bolsonaro has advocated for loosening gun laws and called for bringing back the death penalty.

He's pushed against environmental regulations, and like Trump is critical of the landmark Paris climate accord.

Bolsonaro has also called for lowering taxes and privatizing state companies.

In a country desperate for change, many Brazilians are seemingly attracted to Bolsonaro's radical platform and are unfazed by his controversial rhetoric.

As Bolsonaro's campaign has gained steam many have compared him to Trump, including his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro. If his father wins, "It's going to be beautiful," Eduardo said.

"It will be just like Trump in the United States," he said at a recent rally.

But, like Trump, Bolsonaro continues to be a polarizing figure.

In late September, thousands upon thousands of women marched in protest of Bolsonaro under the slogan #EleNao, which means "Not Him." The march was similar to the anti-Trump "Women's March" held in the US.