President Donald Trump will meet with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro at the White House on March 19 to discuss “how to build a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere,” Bloomberg reports.
According to a statement by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, the two leaders will talk about issues including defense cooperation, trade and restoring democracy in Venezuela.
“They will talk about the major role that the United States and Brazil are playing in the effort to provide humanitarian assistance to Venezuela,” Sanders further said.
Shortly after Bolsonaro won the election, President Trump took to Twitter to voice his optimism about the prospects of working with far-right Brazilian president, who the media often compare to Trump himself.
“Had a very good conversation with the newly elected President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who won his race by a substantial margin. We agreed that Brazil and the United States will work closely together on Trade, Military and everything else! Excellent call, wished him congrats!” Trump tweeted then.
The two presidents have often praised each other, as a result of which officials on both sides have made efforts to deepen ties between the U.S. and Brazil.
Bolsonaro, much like Trump, is a prolific Twitter user, who often raises eyebrows with his controversial statements. He shocked the public by praising Brazil’s former military dictatorship, threatening to jail political opponents and openly criticizing the LGBTQ community.
Both Bolsonaro and Trump have supported Venezuela’s interim President Juan Guaido, and last month Bolsonaro allowed humanitarian aid to be stored on Brazil’s side of the border with Venezuela, which Guaido attempted to bring into the country.
Be the first to comment