An insane president

Bolsonaro's pronouncement was the final testament to his complete inability to govern the country. With its inappropriate and provocative content, it brought apprehension to the nation, given the accumulation of absurdities and vile acts. Instead of calling for unity among Brazilians in the face of the global catastrophe resulting from the pandemic, he once again chose to downplay its effects, attack the press, and lash out at governors who have adopted a responsible stance. 

Between irony and cynicism, he made indirect allusions to Rede Globo and the renowned Dráuzio Varela, stating that if the virus affected people like him, supposedly an athlete, it would have the effect of "a little flu or a cold, as that well-known doctor from that well-known television station said." In short, he transformed the pronouncement, which is constitutionally guaranteed to him on special occasions, into a free space to give vent to the pettiness and villainy of his character. 

Irresponsible to a disturbing degree, Bolsonaro criticized the closure of schools and stated – at a time when cases and deaths are escalating – that life needs to return to normal. Brazilians did not deserve this: to see their president on national television spouting nonsense in droves. A spectacle that will go down in the tragicomic annals of national politics. 

Not satisfied, he subtly attacked Governors Witzel and Dória for adopting—correctly—harsh restrictive measures. "A few authorities must abandon the scorched earth approach: banning transportation, closing businesses, and mass confinement," he said, to the astonishment of Brazilians who see these three measures as safe alternatives for slowing transmission. 

Bolsonaro's demeanor lacked the minimum seriousness required for the moment. Throughout almost his entire speech, the president displayed a sly, insolent, and utterly inappropriate smile. It was as if he were there solely to needle his preferred adversaries: the press, especially Globo Network, and Governors Witzel and Dória. 

Bolsonaro did not address Brazilians with the grandeur and responsibility of a head of state; he turned his official pronouncement into a jumble of imbecilities and petty provocations; a piece of inappropriate and obscurantist content, denying the gravity of the moment. 

It was terribly less than what is still expected of him. It was dangerously irresponsible. And sadly, insane. 

With each passing day, each interview, each message, Bolsonaro proves that he can no longer continue leading Brazil, under penalty of irreparably destroying it.