In response to fears about the coronavirus, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that “everyone is going to die” and urged people to stop being “sisses.”
“All of us are going to die one day,” he said at a news conference on Monday, Reuters reported. “Everyone is going to die. There is no point in escaping from that, in escaping from reality. We have to stop being a country of sissies.”
Brazil has the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, behind only the United States and India, despite having a much smaller population than the other two. To date, the South American country has had nearly 5.7 million COVID-19 diagnoses, resulting in more than 162,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker. There have been more than 50 million cases and 1.2 million deaths globally.
Bolsonaro tested positive for COVID-19 over the summer and has sought to downplay the severity of the virus. Months ago, he attributed his quick recovery to his self-described history as an athlete, and he suggested the Brazilian media might not fare as well, calling them “wimps.”
Given his nickname, the “Trump of the Tropics,” it’s not surprising that he endorsed President Trump for reelection. He has not reached out to presumptive President-elect Joe Biden even though many other foreign leaders have done so.
