Bolsonaro sees parallels between the attack on him and on Trump
Bolsonaro was stabbed during the 2018 campaign and had to undergo multiple surgeries afterwards. "The doctors say it's a miracle I survived in 2018 given the severity of the injuries", Bolsonaro wrote now on X. Regarding the attack on Trump on Saturday (local time), he called it "a matter of centimeters".
"This comes from above", Bolsonaro said, looking up towards the sky, about their survival. The Brazilian ex-president, often referred to as the "Trump of the Tropics", is known as a Trump supporter. After the failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, Bolsonaro called Trump the "world's greatest political leader at the moment".
Like the US, Brazil has experienced strong political polarization in recent years. A week after the inauguration of the left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in January 2023, Bolsonaro supporters stormed the government buildings in the capital Brasília. They accused Lula of having stolen the election and in vain called on the military to overthrow the left-politician.
The violence reminded many of the storming of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. in January 2021, after Trump lost the presidential election to the current office holder Joe Biden. Against Bolsonaro, a ban on holding office until 2030 was imposed because he baselessly questioned the legitimacy of the Brazilian presidential election in 2022.
Trump survived a narrow assassination attempt on Saturday (local time) at a campaign event in the state of Pennsylvania. He was shot and slightly injured in the ear. In addition to the alleged shooter, a spectator was killed, and two others were seriously injured.
The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also drew parallels between the shootings of Trump and an attack on him. The populist politician was shot near a cabinet meeting in a Slovak town on May 15th. Fico survived seriously injured and could resume work a few days ago.
Bolsonaro's survival in 2018, following his stabbing during the campaign, was described as a miracle by the doctors. Bolsonaro, the Brazilian ex-president and Trump'ssupporter, likened the attack on Trump in Pennsylvania to a "matter of centimeters." Bolsonaro, often referred to as the "Trump of the Tropics," saw Trump as the "world's greatest political leader at the moment" after the failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Like the US, Brazil has experienced significant political polarization recently. A week after the inauguration of the left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2023, Bolsonaro supporters stormed the government buildings in Brasília, accusing Lula of election theft and calling for the military to overthrow him.
The violence in Brasília reminded many of the Capitol storming in Washington, D.C., after Trump lost the 2021 presidential election to Joe Biden. Bolsonaro was barred from holding office until 2030 due to his baseless accusations of election fraud in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election.
Trump survived a narrow assassination attempt during a campaign event in Pennsylvania, where he was shot and slightly injured in the ear. The incident led to the death of at least one spectator and left two others seriously injured.
Comparing the attacks, the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico drew parallels between the shootings of Trump and his own experience in May 2021, when he was shot near a cabinet meeting in a Slovak town. Fico, a populist politician, survived the attack and returned to work a few days later.
