Far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro travels around Brazil on the campaign trail, attracting enthusiastic audiences who don’t seem to be worried by allegations that he encouraged a coup attempt, despite his numerous legal problems.
In a sharply divided nation, 69-year-old Bolsonaro has maintained a core of radical supporters despite the numerous charges and investigations leveled against him, much like Donald Trump in the United States.
Unlike his political idol, however, Bolsonaro—also known as “Tropical Trump”—cannot be reelected anytime soon because he was disqualified from public office for eight years for defaming Brazil’s voting system in advance of the elections he lost in 2022.
Ahead of the October municipal elections, Bolsonaro has continued to be a significant advocate for candidates of the right-wing Liberal Party, even though he runs the prospect of being accused and arrested at any time.
He has been touring the huge nation for weeks, sharing videos of his fan base swarming his car or welcoming him at airports on social media. Bolsonaro’s appeal among adherents of his “Bibles, bullets, and beef” political tenet is unquestionably strong.
He was only 3.1 percentage points behind the incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in 2022, according to a poll conducted last month.
Political analyst Mayra Goulart said Bolsonaro remains a “symbol” for Brazilians who yearn to return to conservative values and feel shunned by the political elite — stoked by an effective social media machine that spews out “alternative” information.
