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The right-wing presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, said Thursday that his campaign had no connection with former White House strategist Steve Bannon, contradicting the claims of the White House. 39, one of the sons of Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who won the first round of the Brazilian presidential election on Sunday and is the leader of the polls for the second round, was questioned about connections with Bannon during an event in Rio de Janeiro.
Bolsonaro said that if his son Eduardo Bolsonaro had met Bannon, "he did not talk about it".
"We do not have the resources to pay for the campaign … even though (a marketing strategist) contacted us," Bolsonaro said.
He described the reports of relations with Bannon as "typical fake news".
In August, Eduardo Bolsonaro had been quoted by the Brazilian Epoca magazine, claiming that Bannon "was available to help us".
In the interview, Bolsonaro said that the help would not be financial, but rather "Internet tips, sometimes an analysis, an interpretation of the data, that sort of thing".
Also in August, Eduardo posted on Instagram a photo of himself with Bannon. The legend said that the two men had met and that Bannon was an "enthusiastic" of his father's candidacy and that they "would join forces against cultural Marxism".
Eduardo Bolsonaro has not responded to several attempts to obtain a comment. Bannon also did not respond to requests for comment.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain who speaks with approval of the Brazilian dictatorship of 1964-1985, will be confronted with the former mayor of Sao Paulo, Fernando Haddad, of the left-wing labor party, during the second round .
Bolsonaro has pledged to cut government spending, privatize many state-owned companies and crack down on drug traffickers and other criminals. Many have compared Bolsonaro to Trump because of his impetuous tone and his common political foundations.
At the same protest on Thursday, Bolsonaro said he "admired Trump" over his fierce stance on immigration.
"We can not have a country with wide open borders," said Bolsonaro.
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Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report.
