Pulling back on criticism: Bolsonaro's son is not ambassador in the US

End of a controversial episode: Eduardo Bolsonaro is not Brazil's ambassador to the United States. The son of President Jair Bolsonaro justified the backlash in the Chamber of Deputies in Brasília, among other things, with lack of support in his electorate. His father had no influence on the decision, he continued.

Eduardo Bolsonaro is a member of his father's party, PSL, and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the lower house of the Brazilian Parliament. A few months ago, he was 35 years old, reaching the legal minimum age for Brazilian ambassadors.

Local media Bolsonaro junior said he had long considered his decision. "I listen to the advice of many people," he said. The majority of his constituents did not support his plan to become an ambassador to Washington.

Close connections in right-wing extremist circles caused criticism

In August, Brazil's ultra-right leader, Bolsonaro, announced that the US government had approved the appointment of his third eldest son as ambassador to Washington.

The announcement, however, had caused criticism because Eduardo has close links to right-wing circles in the United States. In February, the law graduate joined The Movement of US ultranationalist Steve Bannon. As Brazil leader of the right-wing extremist movement, he represents Latin America in it.

Already during Bolsonaro's election campaign last year and the first months of his presidency, Eduardo Bolsonaro had served his father as a diplomatic adviser. He accompanied the President on several trips abroad and also during his Washington visit in March. Earlier this week, the president said his son Eduardo could help reconcile the fractured camps of the PSL.