Moments before the first debate of Brazil’s presidential runoff stage last Sunday, President Jair Bolsonaro said in a press conference he had hardened “the worst 24 hours” of his life. Thousands of people online were accusing him of being a pedophile.
It all began with an interview for a football-centered podcast on Friday, when Mr. Bolsonaro began talking about the dangers of socialism and the afflictions of Venezuelan immigrants living in Brazil.
During a visit to a poor community in Brasília, he said, he ran into “cute girls, 14 and 15 years old.” Mr. Bolsonaro claimed “there was a vibe”…