Brazil's President Bolsonaro Says Coronavirus Crisis Is 'A Media Trick, Hysteria, Over A Little Flu'

[appalachiablue]

'Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro says coronavirus crisis is a media trick.' Far-right president has resisted strong measures to stop spread of what he calls a ‘little flu.’ The Guardian, March 23, 2020.

Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has accused his political foes and the press of purposefully “tricking” citizens about the dangers of coronavirus, as Latin America braced for a spike in the number of deaths.

The pandemic has claimed nearly 15,000 lives across the globe and looks set to exact a deadly toll on Latin America in the coming weeks, with many regional governments closing borders and shutting down major cities in a desperate bid to limit the damage.

But Bolsonaro has resisted such drastic measures, dismissing media “hysteria” over coronavirus and calling the illness “a little flu”.



In a tetchy television interview on Sunday night Bolsonaro again downplayed the pandemic and attacked the governors of key states including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo who have ordered residents to stay at home and are imposing quarantines.

“The people will soon see that they were tricked by these governors and by the large part of the media when it comes to coronavirus,” Bolsonaro said, as his own health officials announced 25 deaths and 1,546 cases of coronavirus in Brazil.

Bolsonaro claimed a wave of pot-banging protests, which entered their sixth night on Sunday, were a part of a media-backed plot to topple him.

“It is a shameless campaign, a colossal and absurd campaign against the head of state … They want to force me out however possible,” he claimed.

On Monday two opinion polls suggested widespread discontent with Bolsonaro’s behaviour.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/brazils-jair-bolsonaro-says-coronavirus-crisis-is-a-media-trick

[Eugene]

1. Brazilians side with governors over Bolsonaro on virus response: poll

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MARCH 23, 2020 / 9:40 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Brazilians side with governors over Bolsonaro on virus response: poll

RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro appeared to be losing the battle of public opinion in his clash with state governors taking a much tougher line on fighting the coronavirus pandemic than the right-wing populist, a poll showed on Monday.

Bolsonaro stepped up his attacks on the governors in a Sunday night television interview, calling them “job killers” for ordering stores closed in an effort to slow the outbreak.

“This is a crisis much worse than what the coronavirus has caused in Brazil,” the president told TV Record.

Brazilians, however, are giving the governors higher marks, according to a Datalfolha poll that found 54% of those polled rated governors’ response to the pandemic as “great” or “good” while only 34% thought the same of the president.

Health Minister Luis Henrique Mandetta, who has contradicted Bolsonaro on the need to restrict public meetings, was also better rated than the president, with 55% seeing his work as “great” or “good.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil/brazilians-side-with-governors-over-bolsonaro-on-virus-response-poll-idUSKBN21A27O

[appalachiablue]

3. Glad to see governors & people pushing back from 'Tropical Trump.'

[VWolf]

2. Hmmmm, where have I heard THAT before??? n/t