Estadão: Bolsonaro is indecent, rude, incompetent, authoritarian, and ignorant.

247 - Judging by Editorial "Breaking Dishes," published today by the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, calls Jair Bolsonaro an ogre and the worst ruler on the planet – or the worst that has ever existed in history. The newspaper also condemned his statement that democracy and freedom only exist when the military allows it. "In Davos, he needed six minutes to show his administrative incompetence. With the marines, he needed no more than four minutes to reveal his authoritarian face and his civic ignorance," the text points out.

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A country is in trouble when its president clearly doesn't understand his role, especially when he can't control the thoughts that might be coming to mind.

It's almost touching to see commentators trying to find some strategic meaning in President Jair Bolsonaro's rambling pronouncements, as if they were part of a rational communication plan.

From his grotesque inaugural speech, crammed with outbursts and childish bravado, it should have been clear to everyone that Bolsonaro never felt obligated to measure his words and gestures, adapting them to his position as head of state. On the contrary: judging by Bolsonaro's often crude and indecent behavior, the president probably considers himself above the office he holds, exempt from the rituals and protocols proper to such a high function. He has even dedicated himself to the dissemination of pornography on social media, to national and international astonishment.

If there is a strategy, it is to keep the country apprehensive with each new tweet or presidential speech, because you never know what's coming next. Bolsonaro seems to imagine that he was elected to say whatever comes to mind, without caring about the damage – and his advisors should try to mitigate the harm caused by his excesses.

But there are cases where not even the most skilled minister is able to mend the situation. How to explain, for example, the president's speech yesterday during a ceremony at the Marine Corps in Rio, when he said, in no uncertain terms, that "democracy and freedom only exist when the Armed Forces so desire"? It would require considerable rhetorical acrobatics not to consider this speech as an explicit manifestation of an irremediably authoritarian mindset, from someone who believes that democracy is merely a favor granted by the military to civilians. For the president of the Republic – this is the conclusion – democracy and freedom are merely circumstantial, depending not on the strength and solidity of democratic institutions and the honest convictions of the men he himself leads, but rather on the moods of the barracks.

A country is in trouble when its president clearly doesn't understand his role, especially when he can't control the thoughts that might come to mind. As head of state, Bolsonaro has an obligation to know that each and every one of his words will guide the national political debate, whether in Congress or on the streets, and will also have consequences in the delicate field of the economy. The president must be aware that he is no longer a candidate, a condition that allowed him to embody the histrionic and boastful character that his fanatical followers nicknamed "the myth." He must understand that his truculent and polarizing rhetoric may have been very useful in making his presidential candidacy viable, but it is terrible for garnering political support for a government that begins without a visible base in Congress.

Antagonizing carnival revelers on social media, as Bolsonaro did inappropriately and rashly by sharing a pornographic video under the guise of "exposing the truth," will likely not garner a single vote out of the many needed to pass projects of real national interest in Congress. Even some of his most sincere supporters disapproved of the rudeness, which is why presidential advisors were forced to release an official statement attempting to explain the inexplicable, obviously without success.

Common sense suggests that one shouldn't expect Bolsonaro to suddenly understand his role and transform himself into a statesman capable of guiding the country's expectations in a few words. Faced with this, the adult wing of the government seems to have decided to work independently, trying to repair the damage caused by Bolsonaro's chaotic and reckless communication – from the economic losses caused by the president's disproportionate public antagonism towards China and Arab countries, to the difficulty in garnering support for a pension reform that Bolsonaro seems not to believe in. From what we've seen so far, all the effort some of his aides are making to prevent the hapless president from breaking everything will be in vain. Bolsonaro is becoming increasingly quick and accurate. In Davos, he needed six minutes to demonstrate his administrative incompetence. With the marines, he needed no more than four minutes to reveal his authoritarian side and his civic ignorance.