19:22

Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro for using the phrase “fake news”, as the two men reveled in their similarities during a summit in Washington.



“I’m very proud to hear the president use the term ‘fake news,’” Trump said of his Brazilian counterpart while standing by his side at a joint press conference in the White House Rose Garden.

Trump’s comments came as Bolsonaro urged Brazil and the US to “stand side-by-side in their efforts to ensure liberty and respect for traditional family lifestyles with respect to God ... and against politically correct attitudes and against fake news”.

The admiration between the two men was mutual, as Bolsonaro, the far-right leader of Brazil, expressed his belief that Trump would be reelected to a second term.

Questions from the press were limited to a handful of organizations that included the Daily Caller, a Trump-friendly conservative website often cited by the president.

The outlet asked Trump about his attacks on social media companies, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, which he president accused of bias earlier in the day.

“It seems to be if they are conservative, if they are Republicans, in a certain group, there is discrimination,” Trump said.



The president went on to suggest, without evidence, that there was “collusion” between the platforms, stating: “Something has to be going on ... The hatred they have for a certain group of people that happen to be in power.”



“I do think we have to get to the bottom of it,” Trump added. “It’s fair to say we have to do something about it.”