John Bolton to Newsmax: Outgoing Brazil President Had 'Pro-American' Views (Newsmax/"The Record With Greta Van Susteren")
By Jay Clemons | Monday, 31 October 2022 08:05 PM EDT
John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's projected victory over conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazil presidential election could have an interesting impact with American leaders moving forward.
"Bolsonaro was pro-American," Bolton told Newsmax's "The Record with Greta Van Susteren."I think people get lost in the haze of the comparisons to [former President Donald] Trump.
"But Bolsonaro's outlook of the world was pro-American. He was very concerned about China's economic influence inside Brazil."
Bolton, a onetime national security adviser to President Trump, added Bolsonaro initially wanted "Brazil to join NATO, which would have been quite something, if it had happened."
At the last reported tally, 98.8% of the votes have been counted in Brazil, with Lula da Silva collecting approximately 50.8% of support.
To exacerbate his point about future relations, Bolton noted how the Biden administration preferred the left-leaning Lula de Silva to prevail over the Trump-friendly Bolsonaro — even though it could greatly affect Israel's relationship with Brazil and the U.S.
Bolsonaro was always "pro-Israel," says Bolton, while adding the Brazilian leader even opened up a trade office in Jerusalem — the acknowledged capital city for Jewish leaders in Israel.
"And now, it's not clear with what Lula will do, if elected," in terms of whether he will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
During his first stint as Brazil's president (2003-10), Lula de Silva was "pro-Palestine" and also "very negative on Israel," according to Bolton.
Lula de Silva was also friendly with Iran's leaders during his time as Brazil's president, he added.
"[Lula's] record before, I think, should give [Americans] a lot of concern," Bolton noted.
At the time of Bolton's Newsmax interview, Bolsonaro had yet to offer any public acknowledgment of his projected defeat.
However, Bolton called for the Brazilian president having sufficient time to process the events of the past 48 hours — before "jumping to any conclusions" of election denial.
When asked about a number of South American countries — such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, and potentially Brazil — having presidents that fall into the left-of-center category, Bolton bluntly said, "Well, they're going the wrong direction yet again."
From Bolton's perspective, instead of aligning with economic powers such as the U.S, Germany, Japan, etc., some South American countries are buying into the promises of socialist leadership.
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