Trump says he’s ‘very proud’ to hear Bolsonaro use the term ‘fake news’

President Trump said Tuesday that he was “very proud” to hear Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro use the term “fake news” during a news conference at the White House.

Trump offered praise for his Brazilian counterpart, who has earned the nickname “Trump of the Tropics” for his similarities to the U.S. leader, during a diatribe against tech companies and broadcast networks. Trump suggested that those two groups are biased against him and other conservatives.

“You look at the networks, you look at the newscasts. I call it fake news,” Trump said. “I’m very proud to hear the president use the term fake news.”

President Trump says he’s “very proud” to hear Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro use the term “fake news” https://t.co/2fQNgKJFN3 pic.twitter.com/UHniKJ4kLL

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 19, 2019

{mosads}Bolsonaro invoked the term Trump regularly uses to describe unfavorable news coverage during his opening remarks.

“Brazil and the United States stand side-by-side in their efforts to ensure liberties in respect to traditional family lifestyles, respect to God our creator, against the gender ideology or the politically correct attitudes and against fake news,” he said through a translator.

Tuesday’s news conference underscored the similarities and friendly relationship between Trump and Bolsonaro, who took over as president in January. The two men spoke of improving relations between their respective countries, and referenced their closely aligned views.

“I also know that we’re going to have a fantastic working relationship,” Trump said. “We have many views that are similar.”

Bolsonaro later predicted that Trump will win reelection in 2020.

“It’s an internal affair, we will respect whatever the ballots tell us on 2020,” he said through a translator. “But I do believe Donald Trump is going to be reelected.”

Bolsonaro stunned the political world last year when he was elected president. He has attempted to align himself closely with Trump’s style and policies and has echoed his “fake news” line of attack toward the press. Bolsonaro’s campaign slogan of “Brazil First” also mirrored Trump’s “America First” tagline.

A former military officer, Bolsonaro’s victory raised concerns among international watchdogs after he praised Brazil’s old military dictatorship and made incendiary comments about women and members of the LGBTQ community. 

Experts said that he and Trump are likely to find common ground on foreign policy issues related to Venezuela and Israel, and White House officials described Tuesday’s meeting as a key opportunity to boost the Brazil-U.S. relationship.

Trump announced at Tuesday’s news conference that the U.S. would recognize Brazil as a major non-NATO ally, an upgrade to their formal relationship.