Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio tried to lecture the people of Brazil about global warming but was promptly humiliated by the country’s President Jairo Bolsonaro.
DiCaprio, who is known for flying on private jets while hectoring ordinary folks about climate change, was urging young Brazilian voters to register for the country’s upcoming election.
The tweet from DiCaprio was nothing new, as the multimillionaire actor has long been known for his hypocritical environmental activism.
However, Bolsonaro, also known as “Tropical Trump,” drew the line when DiCaprio attempted to meddle in Brazil’s elections.
Bolsonaro’s response, dripping with sarcasm, ended with a reference to a 2015 film DiCaprio starred in, perhaps by way of telling the Oscar winner to stay in his lane.
“Brazil is home to the Amazon and other ecosystems critical to climate change,” DiCaprio tweeted late last week.
“What happens there matters to us all and youth voting is key in driving change for a healthy planet.”
Bolsonaro, who some polls show trails leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the Oct. 2 election, fired back with mockery.
– Thanks for your support, Leo! It's really important to have every Brazilian voting in the coming elections. Our people will decide if they want to keep our sovereignty on the Amazon or to be ruled by crooks who serve foreign special interest. Good job in The Revenant! 👍 https://t.co/kg3b6rmPCw
— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) April 29, 2022
“Thanks for your support, Leo!” Bolsonaro replied.
“It’s really important to have every Brazilian voting in the coming elections.
“Our people will decide if they want to keep our sovereignty on the Amazon or to be ruled by crooks who serve foreign special interest.
“Good job in The Revenant!”
Bolsonaro later fact-checked DiCaprio, reposting a screenshot of a photo DiCaprio had put up on Instagram.
“By the way, the picture you posted to talk about the wildfires in the Amazon in 2019 is from 2003,” Bolsonaro wrote.
“There are people who want to arrest Brazilian citizens who make this kind of mistake here in our country.
“But I’m against this tyrannical idea.
“So I forgive you. Hugs from Brazil!”
Environmentalists blame Bolsonaro for allowing more deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
Bolsonaro believes the development of portions of the Amazon rainforest is critical to reducing poverty in his country.
The pair have clashed previously.
In 2019, after DiCaprio donated $5 million to Amazon rainforest conservation, Bolsonaro accused him of “giving money to set the Amazon on fire.”
Last year, DiCaprio was part of an effort to urge President Joe Biden not to sign an environmental deal with Brazil.
