Bizarre moment Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro wrestles with influencer and tries to snatch his phone away after he was called a ‘coward’ and ‘bum’

• Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro got into a wrestling match with social media influencer Wilker Leão outside his home in Brasilia, the country’s capital
• Bolsonaro was chatting with his supporters when Leão used his cellphone to record himself calling the president ‘coward’ and ‘bum’
• The far-right leader stepped from his car, grabbing Leão by the shirt and arm while trying to take his phone away 
• They then had a conversation for several minutes about legislative proposals before Bolsonaro was driven away

This is the shocking moment Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro got tangled up with a social media influencer and tried to snatch his cellphone away on Thursday.

The far-right leader was speaking to supporters  and posing for selfies outside Palácio da Alvorada, the presidential residence in the capital city of Brasilia, when Wilker Leão pushed his way through the crowd and confronted him.

Leão used his phone to film himself, repeatedly shouting at the president, calling him a ‘coward,’ ‘bum’ and the ‘darling’ of a pork-barrel faction in Congress.

Bolsonaro initially entered his car, but then reemerged and grabbed Leão’s shirt and forearm while reaching for his phone. 

Security guards pulled Leão, a former Army solider away. 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro confronted social media influencer Wilker Leão and tried to snatch his cellphone away on Thursday after Leão, a former Army soldier, heckled the far-right leader and called him a ‘coward,’ ‘bum’ and the ‘darling’ of a pork-barrel faction in Congress

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the media during a visit to a technology park on Thursday as he starts his campaign as a presidential candidate in October’s national elections. He is trailing former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in all polls ahead of the October 2 first round vote

The incident underscored possible challenges for the sometimes quick-tempered leader to stay disciplined on the campaign trail. 

The presidential campaign that kicked off Tuesday is expected to be an uphill battle for Bolsonaro, who trails former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in all polls ahead of the October 2 first round vote.

A journalist from news website G1 published a video of Leão’s comments and the subsequent altercation in which a security guard grabbed the social media figure and tossed him to the ground.

‘Don’t film this, don’t film this,’ Bolsonaro told his supporters as Leão was held by presidential security. ‘It is his right (to protest), but he was being impolite.’

Brazil’s President Jail Bolsonaro grabs social media influencer  Wilker Leão by the arm in an attempt to take his cellphone during a confrontation in front of the presidential residence in the city of Brasilia on Thursday morning

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters at a rally on July 15. The far-right leader is running for a second term as campaigning started Tuesday. It is expected to be an uphill battle for Bolsonaro, who trails former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in all polls ahead of the October 2 first round vote.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zENm7sP7FpM%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Four minutes later, security allowed Leão to return to the scene and chat with Bolsonaro.

‘You can talk to me as much as you want,’ Bolsonaro told Leão. The two spoke for five minutes about plea bargaining, the budget, tax reform and weapon possession until the president decided to go back to his car and leave.

Bolsonaro and Leão had spoken in the past, including in April when the influencer identified himself as a corporal in the Army reserve.

Thursday was not the first time that social media influencer Wilker Leão had approached Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The pair spoke in April when Leão Bolsonaro about comments he had made in which he said the work of Army corporals and soldiers was limited to cleaning

Leão questioned Bolsonaro about comments he had made in which he said the work of Army corporals and soldiers was limited to cleaning. 

‘Stop, stop, stop… Why are you angry?’ Bolsonaro told him. ‘Why did you stay eight years [in the Army] and now you’re complaining?’

The YouTuber replied: ‘I am defending corporals and soldiers who, for example, carry out the armed security of (president), but outside the door they do not have a gun.’

Bolsonaro has had earlier confrontations, often with the press. 

In 2020, he told a journalist, ‘I want to punch you in the mouth’ and once suggested he’d like to shoot supporters of the rival Workers’ Party.

Source: Read Full Article