The week in Brazilian politics. The last brief was dated April 1, from where this report will continue.

• After his speech on Tuesday, where President Bolsonaro seemed to have adopted a more conciliatory tone, he continued to contradict his health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, saying that only risk groups should stay at home. A new poll shows that Mandetta’s popularity has skyrocketed in the last two weeks.
• China cancels orders of ventilators and other equipment essential to combatting COVID-19, apparently to sell them to the higher-paying United States. …

The president’s closest allies have expressed their clear support for Health Minister Mandetta, demanding that Bolsonaro change his discourse to promote a more coherent front to curb the spread of COVID-19. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Bolsonaro seemed more disposed to fall in line, although he did not completely abandon his “vertical isolation” strategy (isolate the old, let the rest return to work).

• 201 people have died from COVID-19, an increase of 42 deaths in one day — the majority in São Paulo. 5.717 cases of infection have been confirmed.
• Bolsonaro’s closest allies have made increasingly clear their support…

Daily Brief on Brazilian Politics — March 31, 2020

Finance Minister Paulo Guedes and Justice Minister Sergio Moro, as well as Vice-President Hamilton Mourão on Sunday, have to some degree expressed support for health minister Mandetta and how he has handled the crisis. Bolsonaro has been frustrated by what he feels is a lack of support from officials in his government, and it does not seem as if Bolsonaro will back down and start to promote the guidelines of his Ministry of Health (and the WHO) that he has railed against. …

Bolsonaro’s health minister has said that he will criticize the president when he deviates from technical recommendations. Earlier in the week, the minister seemed to want to avoid confrontation by asserting that many states’ isolation measures went too far too early. Bolsonaro, in turn, said he would fire the minister if he criticized him. The next day, Bolsonaro was out greeting people on the street. Most of his allies that do not directly criticize him say he should opt for dialogue. But the president remains intent on continuing his increasingly lonely battle.

• Brazil had 136 deaths caused by the coronavirus…

Bolsonaro continues his full-on assault on governors and health experts, insisting on people returning to normalcy immediately. He also questioned statistics related to deaths caused by the coronavirus — both those of Brazil and Italy. He suspects a fraud has been committed to advance political interests. Congress and governors are largely unified in trying to isolate a president that is averse to negotiating — for the sake of the country.

Coronavirus

COVID–19’s death toll now stands at 92 — an increase of 15 deaths since yesterday. …

This is an excerpt from the BrazilianPolitics.com March 25 newsletter. You can sign up for your daily dose of Brazilian politics here.

Speaking last night to the Brazilian population, President Bolsonaro lauded the work of his government so far, especially his health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta, and added that with the arrival of the virus in Brazil, it had been necessary “to contain … the panic, the hysteria,” while at the same time formulate a strategy to “save lives and avoid mass unemployment.”

Then he claimed that the majority of the media had done the exact opposite, spreading “the sensation…

“Today, the World Health Organization officially announced that this is a global pandemic,” Donald Trump said in his March 11 speech from the Oval Office, adding that his administration had “been in frequent contact with our allies.” He announced a 30-day suspension on all travel from Europe: “…these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing.”

European allies quickly complained that there had been no contact prior to the announcement. “The European Union disapproves…

“When it comes to environmental pollution, it’s just to poop every other day, which will make our lives that much better,” Brazil’s president said after a reporter asked how the country could grow economically while preserving the environment. Ludicrous statements such as this one have given the president a reputation as hostile to environmental considerations, especially after the fires in the Amazon forest became a prime story in international news last month. The hostility, however, is not just talk.

On January 2, one day after Jair Messias Bolsonaro took office as President of the Republic, the new administration published a…