Jair Bolsonaro: Brazilian far-right president suddenly cancels US visit after protests

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Brazil’s far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro has abruptly cancelled a trip to the US after facing a backlash from protesters and officials in New York City.

The 64-year-old was supposed to be honoured as ‘person of the year’ by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce (BACC) at a gala dinner on 14 May.

Mr Bolsonaro’s office sought to blame protesters and city officials for the trip’s cancellation.

His spokesperson said he would not be attending the event due to “the resistance and deliberate attacks by the mayor of New York and the pressure of interest groups”.

Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, described Mr Bolsonaro as a “very dangerous human being” in an interview with WNYC radio last month.

“The choice of President Bolsonaro is a recognition of his strongly stated intention of fostering closer commercial and diplomatic ties between Brazil and the United States and his firm commitment to building a strong and durable partnership between the two nations,” BACC said on its website.

But the far-right politician’s history of making racist, sexist and homophobic remarks led to a series of venues refusing to host the event, including the American Museum of Natural History.

The museum had been urged by public figures, including Mr de Blasio, to withdraw from hosting the dinner.

Several companies, including Delta Air Lines, The Financial Times and Bain & Co, also withdrew sponsorship funds from the dinner earlier this week.

“We have decided to withdraw our sponsorship of the ... 2019 Person of the Year Awards Gala Dinner,” a Bain spokesperson said.

“Encouraging and celebrating diversity is a core Bain principle.”

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Citigroup Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co all refused to comment on whether they would withdraw their support for the event.

The dinner is still scheduled to go ahead, despite Mr Bolsonaro’s withdrawal.

“The Chamber hereby affirms that the Gala Dinner will take place as scheduled,” a BACC spokesperson said.

The organisation is also honouring US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as its US ‘person of the year’.

Additional reporting by agencies