USA elects deputy son of Brazilians, Republican, Trumpist, Bolsonarista and gay

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“That’s how it’s done! Enough with the censorship! Wake up, world! Brazil is setting the standards for #lutapelaliberdade #OGiganteAcordou #Brazil #7DeSetembro”. The author of this message, accompanied by an image of the Bolsonarista protest against the Federal Supreme Court in Rio de Janeiro on September 7 of last year, has just been elected to Congress in the United States.

This is George Santos, 34, born in New York and the son of Brazilian parents, who was elected on Tuesday (8) to represent Donald Trump’s party and ideas in the House.

He is the first openly gay Republican congressman elected in the country – the acronym had two representatives in the House who were also gay, but who only came out publicly after years in the House.

A convinced Trumpist, he defends the ex-president’s flags and makes it clear on his website that his parents “legally immigrated to the United States in search of the American dream, where they began their new lives under the principles of life, liberty and freedom.” and search for happiness.”

During the crisis on the US-Mexico border last year, he posted a comment on Twitter about the increase in irregular immigration of Brazilians to the country and stated that he “was ashamed to see this huge disregard for legislation.” He also provoked deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), son of the president of the Republic, to pass “legislation in your Congress as soon as possible to send these people back to Brazil”, he wrote.

Santos has already published a photo with Eduardo on his social networks, saying that it would be “a great moment and opportunity to create a network” with the Brazilian parliamentarian. In May 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, he asked then-President Trump to send hydroxychloroquine to Brazil, a drug advertised by both the American president and Jair Bolsonaro to fight the disease, despite evidence that does not point to any efficacy against it. the coronavirus. In June of that year, the US announced the shipment of 2 million pills of the drug to the country.

The election of a son of Brazilian immigrants to the country’s Congress also draws attention because, although Brazil has one of the largest communities of foreigners in the US, it has never had significant political representation.

The Itamaraty estimates the size of the Brazilian community in the US at 1.8 million. Although these immigrants can be generally included in the category of Latinos, the second largest ethnic group in the USA, Brazil itself has never been represented even close to that of Cuban descendants, who have elected politicians in the country for decades.

Santos is a staunch admirer of Trump and praises him whenever he can. In February of last year, he stated in an interview with Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, that he was in Washington on January 6, 2021, when protesters invaded the US Congress to try to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory. , in an episode that left 5 dead and a fissure in the country’s history of democracy.

He claims he was at Elipse, a park behind the White House, less than 3 kilometers from Congress. “It was the most incredible crowd, and the president [Trump] was in all its excellence”, he said.

The elected deputy says he did not set foot on the Capitol and, in fact, the next day, January 7, he even wrote that the day would be “marked as a sad and dark day in our history” and that the nation needed “to be healed”. immediately.” This year, however, he was filmed by an alleged supporter saying he was working on fundraising to hire lawyers and get protesters who invaded Congress out of jail, making it clear he “did not want to publicize” the matter.

Santos had run before, in 2020, without success, but his election this year was considered historic because for the first time in US history two gay candidates dueled each other for a seat in the House. Santos defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman and turned a seat that had been in Joe Biden’s party since 2013 to the Republicans.

The elected deputy, however, has controversies in the gay community. Santos went public with his support for Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, a controversial piece of legislation by Governor Ron DeSantis who became better known by the nickname “don’t say gay.” In the fight against alleged “gender ideology,” the state has banned teachers from talking to children in the classroom about sexual orientation and gender identity.

The legislation was criticized by LGBTQIA+ rights groups, who even sued the state, and Santos came to the defense of Republicans in Florida. “As a gay man, I proudly stand in favor of not teaching our children about sex or sexual orientation,” he said in a video on Facebook. “DeSantis, you have my full support, I support your decision to protect the innocence of our children,” he said, stating that this would be “a decent law that protects our values.”

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