Trump to welcome Brazil’s president to White House

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will welcome Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, to the White House later this month to discuss trade, defenceco-operation, transnational crime and other issues.

The White House said Friday that two leaders also would talk about providing humanitarian assistance to Venezuela and restoring democracy to the country when they meet on March 19.

Bolsonaro, who took office Jan. 1, is a former army captain with hard-right positions. He has often expressed admiration for Trump and said he planned to emulate several of the U.S. leader’s policies.

Bolsonaro rose to power on an anti-corruption and pro-gun agenda that has energized conservatives and hard-right supporters after four consecutive presidential election wins by the left-leaning Workers’ Party.