Brazil’s next presidential election is 13 months away, but already President Jair Bolsonaro has set out on a path that puts him on a collision course with democracy. With every passing day and every new dismal opinion poll, Bolsonaro sounds more like a man who, in the mold of his idol, former U.S. President Donald Trump, is prepared to put his personal political fortune ahead of the country’s democracy and stability.
Last weekend, in a meeting with Brazilian evangelical leaders, Bolsonaro melodramatically remarked that he sees three possibilities for his future: “being arrested, killed or victory.” He then added that the first, arrest, is off the table despite multiple investigations into his conduct while in office because, he said, “No man on Earth will threaten me.”
The speech, widely disseminated, sparked a sometimes-ghoulish debate among his critics on social media over which option is preferable.