Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro boasted about his own athletic prowess and denigrated the press as wimps during a news conference.
Bolsonaro, who first tested positive for COVID-19 in July before recovering weeks later, cited his self-described history as an athlete for his mild symptoms and said the Brazilian media might not fare as well.
“That history of an athlete, the press feasted on it, but when [COVID-19] gets one of you wimps, your chance of surviving is quite a bit lower,” Bolsonaro told reporters at a Monday event, according to Reuters.
“You only know how to do evil, to use a pen largely for evil. Your chance of surviving is quite a bit lower,” the bombastic leader added.
Dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics,” Bolsonaro is known for his antagonistic relationship with the press. On Sunday, he told a reporter, “I want to punch you in the face,” after he was asked about his wife’s ties to a corruption inquiry. His wife also tested positive for the respiratory illness in late June.
Bolsonaro has lauded the use of the controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which President Trump and some doctors have touted as a remedy for treating coronavirus patients, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against its use to treat the virus.
“I’m healed from COVID. I have antibodies, no problems. In my particular case, I first thank God, and secondly, the medication prescribed by the presidential doctor: hydroxychloroquine,” Bolsonaro said after his illness.
