André Marinho recalls ‘surreal’ episodes of Bolsonaro’s campaign

The communicator and comedian André Marinho, son of businessman and politician Paulo Marinho, one of the main articulators of Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) campaign to the Planalto in 2018, tells in detail – without leaving humor aside – the backstage in the book “O Brasil (No) It’s a Joke” (Intrinseca publisher), released this Tuesday (20), in São Paulo.

The communicator witnessed up close from the relationship between members of the Bolsonaro clan to the aftermath of the attack on the then PSL candidate in Juiz de Fora (MG) and their reaction with the victory in the elections. The Marinho family home in Rio de Janeiro has been transformed into a sort of Bolsonaro campaign headquarters.

“We were never part of their inner core [dos Bolsonaro], even being indoors, we only went where we were called. There was never any wonder on our part with all that”, says Marinho about the family, who broke up with Bolsonaro after he was elected.

André Marinho says he had the privilege of being an eyewitness to several “surreal and mind-blowing” episodes behind the scenes of the campaign. One of these passages that are in the book he revealed, exclusively to Mônica Bergamo’s column, that first lady Michelle Bolsonaro asked him to imitate her husband who had just been stabbed.

That same day, Michelle revealed to Marinho and his father that they took her by car to Juiz de Fora, how she met Bolsonaro and about the beginning of their relationship. Michelle said that one day she was coming out of the bathroom and that the president said she would be his wife. “Michelle remembered quite clearly that they kissed for the first time in a car. She said the kiss was terrible because Bolsonaro didn’t know how to kiss and she had to teach it.”

When Bolsonaro had already been transferred to a hospital in São Paulo, Michele commented to Marinho’s father that her husband was feeling very cold during hospitalization. “My father, who has nothing to do with being petty, went to Shopping Iguatemi, in São Paulo, and bought three Ralph Lauren blazers. He gave them to Michelle.”

The communicator says that on a visit to Bolsonaro, Michelle said that the coats were too small and the businessman made the exchange at the designer store and delivered it personally a few days later to the then candidate. Marinho remembers that he was still very weak and wearing an Adidas coat.

According to Marinho, his father had to help put a heavy bulletproof vest on the then candidate, who became even more essential after the stab wound. “He started following my father with his eyes, he smiled that typical smile of someone who is about to make a joke and said: ‘For the guy to give me three designer coats, he must be wanting to eat me'”, says Marinho.

In another excerpt from the book, the writer reveals Bolsonaro’s disdain with a leaflet from his son Flávio’s campaign for the Senate, which had a list of proposals. “He took the flyer, turned to me and said: ‘Boy, do you think someone read this shit? Fuck no, this and nothing is the same, you can throw it away,” Bolsonaro said.

Another episode that caught Marinho’s attention was the children’s reaction to Bolsonaro’s victory. In the book, he reports that during the party he found Renan Bolsonaro alone lost in his thoughts and approached him to strike up a conversation. “I asked him how he felt. He replied: ‘I’m just thinking about how many women I’m going to get from now on,'” says Marinho.

In his debut book, Marinho also shares details of his academic background –he studied political science in New York– he talks about the process of creating and imitating famous politicians. At a dinner party, he made former President Michel Temer burst into laughter with an impersonation satirizing Bolsonaro talking to then US President Donald Trump.

At the time, the video was leaked, he was criticized on social media by haters and called a court jester. Marinho assures that he didn’t pay attention to the criticism because he was invited by the dinner’s host, who loves his imitations. He said that meetings with politicians were always part of his life because his father used to do it at home.

“The truth is that the court jester was the only artist in the kingdom who was allowed to make the king laugh, but with a detail that was laughing at himself. The jester was never a fool, on the contrary, he told the truths to those who got used to hearing lies.”

After the video of imitations was leaked, Marinho was hired to be a political commentator on Jovem Pan’s Pânico program, where he stayed until November 2021 after a clash with President Jair Bolsonaro, which left the interview angry with a question.

Marinho says he was not pressured by Emílio Surita or Jovem Pan to leave the program. The comedian said that he was not happy to be labeled a bully, bad boy and to see his voice being drowned out with every debate and controversy. “I weighed the pros and cons on the scale of character and reflected with friends, with my parents and left the show,” Marinho said, noting that he thanked Surita for the opportunity.

Currently, the comedian can be seen on his YouTube channel on the André Marinho Show — which he plans to take to TV. Unlike Panic, he says he tries to be as impartial and dispassionate as possible because his job is to interview. On the talk show, the communicator has already interviewed people from the most diverse areas of activity, including politicians, such as presidential candidates Simone Tebet and Ciro Gomes.

Asked if he would interview Lula, he replied that he would be happy to speak with the candidate. “But I don’t think he would have it even though I’m fully capable these days of having an impartial journalistic role dealing with the facts.”