First visit to the US had all the drama of a soap opera – intrigue, betrayal, family, controversy – and left Brazilians divided

Jair Bolsonaro’s first official visit to the US had all the drama of a Brazilian soap opera – intrigue, betrayal, family, controversy.

But viewers back home in Brazil were left divided: a disastrous interview with Fox News prompted starkly contrasting verdicts, captured in the two trending hashtags: #BolsonaroShamesBrazil (#BolsonaroEnvergonhaOBrasil) and #Bolsonaro Pride of Brazil (#BolsonaroOrgulhoDoBrasil).

'Same rhetoric': Bolsonaro's US visit to showcase populist alliance with Trump Read more

Even in Washington, Bolsonaro was not able to escape the internal battles which have dogged his administration since he took office in January.

On Sunday night, former White House adviser Steve Bannon hosted a screening of a film about Bolsonaro’s ideological guru, the philosopher and conspiracy theorist Olavo de Carvalho who has clashed with members of the Brazilian government and called the vice-president, Hamilton Mourão, an “idiot”.

“I love this guy Bolsonaro, but he’s surrounded by traitors,” de Carvalho said.

On Sunday, de Carvalho and Bannon flanked Bolsonaro at an “opinion formers” dinner where the finance minister Paulo Guedes hailed De Carvalho as “the leader of the revolution”.

Guedes and Bolsonaro were applauded when they addressed investors on Monday with a free-market message.

“It was basically love at first sight. In the economic sense, obviously, I’m not homophobic,” Bolsonaro said of Guedes.

But such language boomeranged later that night when he was interviewed on Fox News.

“The far-right former army captain has a long history of making comments that are antithetical to American values, especially when it comes to the LGBT community,” Fox said in introducing him.

As Maurício Santoro, a professor of international relations at the State University of Rio de Janeiro noted: “When Fox news says that Bolsonaro is extreme right, there is nowhere to run.”

Bolsonaro floundered when questioned on his prejudices and his family’s links to paramilitary gangs – and then endorsed Trump’s border wall and cast aspersions on migrants.

“The vast majority of potential immigrants do not have good intentions,” he said unleashing a hurricane of online protest from Brazil, a nation of immigrants and emigrants (over a million Brazilians live in the United States).

But Bolsonaro turned it around when he met Trump on Tuesday, gushing praise for Trump who beamed and lapped it up. “I have always been a great admirer of the United States, and this admiration increased with the arrival of your excellency in the presidency,” Bolsonaro told him.

They had plenty in common: God, family values, a hatred of socialism and extra-official roles for family members.

Both countries were dedicated to the “guarantee of freedoms respecting the traditional family, in the fear of God, our Creator, [and] oppose gender ideology, politically correctness and fake news,” Bolsonaro said.

The Brazilian president has himself been accused of using “fake news” to smear a newspaper reporter covering an investigation into his son’s former aide.

But the words were enough to draw praise from Trump – who also singled out Bolsonaro’s congressman son Eduardo for praise. “He’s been fantastic,” Trump said.

Like Ivanka Trump, Eduardo plays an outsized role in Bolsonaro’s government, and appeared to overshadow foreign minister Ernesto Araújo during the visit.

Bolsonaro came away with a deal that will open up a satellite base in the north-east of Brazil to American companies, and Trump’s promise of support for Brazil’s bid to join the OECD, an economic club of rich countries.

“A big success for the Bolsonaro administration,” said one diplomatic source with knowledge of the negotiations. “A moderate success for Brazil.”

Neither man mentioned the fact that China – currently embroiled in a trade war – is now Brazil’s main investment and trade partner. Hours after meeting Trump, Bolsonaro announced that he will visit Beijing later this year.

“Trump promised economic and military alliances and he treated Bolsonaro like a true equal leader in the public eye,” said Wendy Schiller, chair of political science at Brown University. “But unless it’s followed up by concrete moves by US on trade six months from now I’m not sure it’s going to be such a big plus.”