Leonardo DiCaprio Warned To Keep His Mouth Shut By President Of Brazil
Leonardo DiCaprio often speaks on issues of preservation, but those comments have seemingly irked the President of Brazil.
Being an outspoken person of any kind on social media is bound to raise some eyebrows and earn you some haters. And that’s exactly what the Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio discovered. While we’re sure he’s been trolled by the general public for his stance on politics and climate change, his most recent call-out was from someone with a little more power – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Responding to a tweet from The Wolf of Wall Street actor, in which Leonardo DiCaprio spoke openly about his feelings surrounding Brazil’s upcoming election, the politician posed his own stance during a press conference on May 3. Included in his comments, the Brazilian president mentioned that the president of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, praised Brazil for its work in agribusiness, adding that without it, the world’s population would starve. Rounding out his statement, Bolsonaro told the Titanic actor to “keep his mouth shut instead of talking nonsense.” Yikes! That’s quite a punch back!
It’s also worth noting that prior to his vocal response, Bolsonaro already fired off in the comments (so to speak) replying to Leonardo DiCaprio via Twitter. In it, a snarky Bolsonaro gave a very sarcastic thank you to “Leo” for pushing Brazil’s citizens to show up at the polls. He said the power would go to those who make the time to fill out their ballots and they alone would make the decision surrounding the deforestation of the Amazon. Pushing for his side, Bolsonaro mentioned that if Brazil doesn’t keep moving the way they have been, the country would surely be “ruled by crooks who serve special foreign interests.” Rounding out his tweet, the world leader took another sassy jab at DiCaprio, congratulating him on his performance in The Revenant.
So how did this feud kick-off? A few days ago, Leonardo DiCaprio tweeted a message to the people of Brazil – specifically the country’s youth. In his post, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star stressed the importance of the looming election for not only the citizens of the South American country but for all those on Earth. Allegedly, Bolsonaro’s time as president has greatly harmed the Amazon due to his deforestation practices. In fact, back in April, CNN made a report that the deforestation of the Amazon hit a new high in 2022, meaning more land was cleared than ever before.
The delicate balance of life in the world-famous rainforest, whether it be with the trees or the creatures that call it home, is believed to play a giant role in the survival of the world as we know it. Leonardo DiCaprio stressed this in his tweet mentioning that the forest’s ecosystems played an integral part in climate change. Speaking to Brazil’s younger generations, he called their voting efforts “key in driving change for a healthy planet.”
It should come as a surprise to no one that Leonardo DiCaprio is championing the anti-deforestation voting cause. In recent years, his on-screen performances have slowed down and he’s taken more time giving his energy to environmental-based projects. He’s served as an executive producer in documentary flicks such as The Ivory Game and has production and narration credits in pieces like Ice on Fire. More recently, he starred in Adam McKay’s satirical climate comedy, Don’t Look Up, proving that even on the scripted level, he’s dedicated to spreading the word about climate change. While the feud between Bolsonaro and DiCaprio rages on, it will be up to the voters of Brazil to see who wins out in the end.
