Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has expressed his support for Joe Rogan, the podcast host and former mixed martial artist facing backlash for spreading COVID-19 misinformation on Spotify.
“I’m not sure what @joerogan thinks about me or about my government, but it doesn’t matter. If freedom of speech means anything, it means that people should be free to say what they think, no matter if they agree or disagree with us. Stand your ground! Hugs from Brazil,” tweeted Bolsonaro on Tuesday night.
Bolsonaro’s comments come amid ongoing debates about Rogan’s role in spreading misinformation. Andre Pagliarini, an assistant professor of history at Hampden Sydney College, claims this move is part of Bolsonaro’s strategy to import U.S.-style culture wars into Brazilian politics.
Bolsonaro has a history of spreading COVID-19 misinformation himself. Dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics”, he has suggested that the only way he could lose the upcoming presidential election is if it is rigged, and has hinted at a potential “countercoup” if he is defeated. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has also endorsed Bolsonaro’s reelection bid.
Bolsonaro’s ties to Trump’s inner circle have been evident since he took office in 2019. His son, congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, has engaged with Trump’s allies and visited Washington, D.C., prior to the Jan. 6 insurrection, meeting figures such as Mike Lindell and Jared Kushner, as reported by the nonprofit Advance Democracy, Inc.
Steve Bannon and other MAGA strategists, along with U.S. Christian right leaders, have also supported Bolsonaro. Like Trump, Bolsonaro and his allies have made “tech censorship” a major campaign issue.
During the 2018 presidential campaign, disinformation spread widely on WhatsApp, which had about 120 million Brazilian users at the time. The majority of false information favored Bolsonaro. In October, Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court acquitted Bolsonaro of coordinating disinformation due to lack of evidence.
The Federal Supreme Court has warned that a repetition of 2018’s mass messaging tactics could result in severe penalties, including the revocation of political registrations and imprisonment. The Supreme Electoral Court is also considering banning Telegram ahead of the October 2022 election to curb misinformation.
In response to these measures, Bolsonaro attempted to temporarily ban social media companies from removing certain posts, including claims of voter fraud. This context sheds light on Bolsonaro’s interest in the Rogan controversy.
“Making an issue of the Rogan thing can be seen as a preemptive move to invoke tech censorship throughout Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign,” Pagliarini explained to Right Wing Watch.
Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” has been a platform for fringe health experts, far-right figures, and conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones. The show, exclusive to Spotify, has an estimated 11 million listeners per episode. Since the pandemic began, his podcast has faced criticism for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, leading to calls for moderation from 270 health experts and prompting musicians like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to ask Spotify to remove their music from the platform.
By supporting Rogan, Bolsonaro can also leverage his popularity among MMA celebrities. MMA, the second or third most popular sport in Brazil, has provided Bolsonaro with endorsements from fighters like Darren Till and others. Many of these fighters, including Brazilians Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Royce Gracie, and Renzo Gracie, are friendly with Rogan and have large social media followings.
Despite his alliances with disinformation sources, the religious right, and MMA celebrities, Bolsonaro’s path to reelection remains challenging. His handling of the pandemic, which has resulted in over 629,000 deaths, and its economic impact may hinder his chances against the popular former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Current polls indicate that Lula could win by as many as 11 percentage points if the election were held today.
