The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro sent “the bitch who gave birth” to members of the media on Wednesday after reports that his government spent 15 million reais (about $ 2.7 million) on condensed milk in 2020.
“When I see the press attacking me, saying I bought 2 and a half million cans of condensed milk (I tell him) I go to the bitch who gave birth to you. That shitty press. On the bottom,” Bolsonaro said during a lunch behind closed doors at a restaurant in Brasilia, along with dozens of artists related to his government and other allies.
According to the video of the meeting published on social networks and shared by an adviser to the president on his Telegram channel, Bolsonaro’s statements were celebrated with laughter and applause from the public, including his foreign ministers, Ernesto Araújo, and tourism, Gilson Machado . Net.
The presidency’s communications secretary confirmed to AFP that the president attended the luncheon, but that it was a “private engagement”, so the press was not present.
The report that sparked Bolsonaro’s reaction, published by the portal Metrópoles, details a total expenditure of 1.8 billion reais (about $ 330 million at the current exchange rate) for food for various federal government courts in 2020.
Of this total, 15 million are intended for the purchase of condensed milk, the majority (14 million) purchased by the Ministry of Defense, not by the Presidency.
However, social media was quickly flooded with “memes” and criticism, attributing the purchase directly to the president, who repeatedly boasted of eating bread and condensed milk for breakfast, proving that he is a “simple man”.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said it was responsible for providing a “balanced” diet to more than 370,000 Armed Forces employees and that “condensed milk makes up this diet because of its energy potential” and that it should eventually be used. instead of “fresh milk”.
The shopping list revealed by the portal includes refrigerants (R $ 31.5 million), chewing gum (R $ 2.2 million) and wine (R $ 2.5 million).
Bolsonaro previously attacked the press, which he blames for creating “narratives” that would hurt him.
According to the French NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in 2020 there were 580 attacks on the Brazilian press promoted by the “Bolsonaro system”, largely by the president himself and his environment through social networks.