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Like Trump, Bolsonaro is a right-wing populist with a penchant for rocking the status quo and using Twitter to blast his message around the globe. Bolsonaro has been accused of making racist and homophobic remarks and recently has come under fire for a sexually explicit tweet during Brazil’s Carnival festival.

Trump was one of the first world leaders to call and congratulate Bolsonaro after this landslide victory in October. Similar to Trump's election, Bolsonaro's win stunned the world and was part a wave of nationalist, right-wing leaders elected in Latin America.

\"PHOTO:
Carolyn Kaster/AP
PHOTO: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk leave after attending service at Saint John's Church in Washington, D.C., March 17, 2019.
>

\"His election, he broke all of the historic taboos of winning an election in Latin America. He was unabashedly, particularly in Brazil, pro America,\" a senior administration official said of Bolsonaro. \"He ran on a campaign that he wanted to be the best friend of the United States that he wanted to have this close relationship with President Trump, and what that would mean for Brazil, for the region, for the world, I think that was very important.\"

The official said the president took note of Bolsonaro's Trump-like rhetoric and social media presence, and called Bolsonaro to congratulate him within hours of his election.

Congratulations to President @JairBolsonaro who just made a great inauguration speech - the U.S.A. is with you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2019

U.S. officials hope the visit will not only boost their economic relationship but align efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.

Brazil shares a border with Venezuela and, like the United States, has joined with dozens of other world leaders in pressuring socialist Nicholas Maduro to turn over power to opposition leader Juan Guaido. But while Trump has said \"every option is on the table\" in Venezuela, suggesting the use of military force, Brazil has pushed for diplomatic talks to lead to a change in power.

A senior administration official said Brazil plays an important role as an \"interlocutor\" between the U.S. and Venezuela.

\"Brazil has allowed the United States to preposition humanitarian aid for Venezuela on Brazil's northern border and we are very grateful to that and we thank him for working tirelessly to provide aide to the Brazilian people and them opening their doors,\" the official said. \"There's also an opportunity here where they can be very good interlocutors. The Brazilian Military has very good relationships with the Venezuelan military and clearly communicate with them as to what should be the role with the Venezuelan military in regards to civility and not repressing and not maintaining the usurpation of democracy Maduro seeks.\"

The U.S. and Brazil hope to end the meetings with signed agreements, including an agreement that would allow the U.S. to launch satellites and rockets into space from Brazil.

\"You will see -- after the visit tomorrow, we will plan to announce a joint statement that will have a lot of deliverables, some which are currently, frankly, right now being signed and being finalized and being negotiated. And that's all extraordinarily positive,\" an official said Monday. \"We think that we have, really, a historic opportunity to re-frame hemispheric relations with this North-South axis.\"

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