(Bloomberg) -- Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro called for an end to communism at a dinner with conservative thought leaders at the first event on his official visit to Washington, D.C.
“I have always dreamed of freeing Brazil from the dirty ideology of the left,” the president told the group on Sunday. In the audience were former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and the Brazilian right-wing philosopher Olavo de Carvalho. “We have to deconstruct, undo many things before we can even start. I'm happy to be the turning point,” he added.
Bolsonaro is an unabashed supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, and his visit to Washington is an opportunity to relaunch Brazil's image on the global stage as a committed ally of the U.S. -- a break from decades of traditional Brazilian diplomacy. While the Brazilian leader is due to meet businessmen and evangelical leaders over the course of the trip, the highlight will come on Tuesday, when Bolsonaro visits Trump in the White House.
To read more: The Apprentice Meets the Master as Bolsonaro Visits Trump
In his concluding remarks at the dinner on Sunday evening, Bolsonaro said his vision for Brazil was very similar to Trump's hopes for the U.S.
“I want a great Brazil just as he wants a great U.S.A.,” he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Simone Iglesias in Brasília at spiglesias@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Raymond Colitt at rcolitt@bloomberg.net, Bruce Douglas, Walter Brandimarte
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