Donald Trump is yet to speak out against the attack on Brazil’s government offices by Jair Bolsonaro supporters in scenes reminiscent of the January 6 insurrection.
Thousands of followers of the far-right former Brazilian president stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital of Brasilia on Sunday.
The Bolsonaro supporters were demanding that the man who lost Brazil’s October presidential election to left-wing candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva be restored to power after supporting the false claim that electronic voting matches were used to rig the vote.
Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro who is accused of inciting the January 6 coup while spreading misinformation about the 2020 Election, has yet to discuss the incident in Brazil on social media.
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Instead, in the hours after the attack Trump shared articles on Truth Social about the decline of ratings on a number of cable networks and programmes such as NBC‘s The Tonight Show.
Trump also praised Texas GOP Republican congressman Pat Fallon for “discussing and analyzing the many problems that our Country now has on our Southern Border” after he appeared on Fox News Sunday to explain why he voted against the government’s $1.7 trillion omnibus bill.
On Sunday night, Trump also chose to post grievances about a New York Times reporter’s article from 2016 rather than what had occurred in Brazil that day.
“Remember when the lightweight and perennially wrong Failing New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman predicted that the Stock Markets and U.S. Economy would CRASH while I was in office. Well, he was 100% wrong, again,” Trump wrote.
“But it did later crash, as Inflation lifted it’s ugly head, after I was out – Self inflicted wounds all! If you sold the day I left, you would have made a “fortune!” Next time, when I leave, SELL…And don’t listen to dopey Paul Krugman.”
Elsewhere, some Republicans have spoken out against the coup attempt by Bolsonaro’s far-right supporters.
Florida Senator Rick Scott tweeted: “Instability and violence anywhere are bad for national security, freedom and democracy everywhere. I urge all who value democracy in Latin America to join together and call for peace and respect for law and order in Brazil.”
George Santos, the New York congressman who admitted to lying about a string of details about his personal life and employment history, added: “The violence in Brazil is not the way to achieve anything, I vehemently condemn the acts of violence and vandalism displayed in Brasilia today.”
Bolsonaro, who recently left Brazil for Florida, tweeted that protests are a “part of democracy,” but said the attacks on Congress and other buildings on Sunday by his supporters were “outside of the law.”
President Lula blamed Bolsonaro for the attack after frequently spreading misinformation about the integrity of the presidential election. Lula also vowed that all the “fanatical fascists” who took part in Sunday’s attack “will be found and they will be punished.”
Trump has been contacted for comment.
