[4] His government was characterized by the strong presence of ministers with a military background, international alignment with the populist right and autocratic leaders,[5][6] and was recognized for his anti-environmental,[7][8] anti-indigenous people[9][10] and pro gun policies.

[11][12] He was also responsible for a broad dismantling of cultural,[13][14] scientific and educational government programmes,[15][16][17] in addition to promoting repeated attacks on democratic institutions[18][19] and spreading fake news.

The decision drew backlash from the international press because Moro had convicted Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro's chief political rival in the election, for money laundering and corruption.

Hindustan Times commented that "there are just two women in Bolsonaro’s government, which is double the number in the outgoing lineup under President Michel Temer", and that "there are no blacks, despite half of Brazil’s population being at least partly descended from Africans".

[58] According to the economist Guilherme Delgado, the proposed measures made by Bolsonaro disorganized the public service, stifled investments, privileged the rich, weakened democratic rights and deepened economic and social inequalities.

[74] Some of the most important road works carried out in Bolsonaro's term include: completion of the duplication of the BR-116 in Rio Grande do Sul,[75] of the BR-101 in the Northeast,[76] of BR-116 in Bahia,[77] of BR-364 between Cuiabá and Rondonópolis,[78] duplication of the BR-470 in Santa Catarina,[79] from BR-280 in Santa Catarina,[80] of the BR-381 in Minas Gerais,[81] construction of the International Integration Bridge (linking Foz do Iguaçu to presidente Franco, in Paraguay),[82] bidding for construction of a bridge that will connect Porto Murtinho (MS) to Carmelo Peralta (Paraguay) for the realization of the Bioceanic Corridor,[83] completion of asphalting of BR-163 in Pará,[84] inauguration of the Abunã Bridge connecting Rondônia to Acre,[85] paving of BRs in the Northeast such as BR-222[86] and the BR-235,[87] in addition to being programmed new concessions for the main motorway of Paraná [88] and Rodovia Presidente Dutra,[89] among others.

[100][101] He has been criticised by João Doria, the governor of São Paulo, for not acting on the crisis at a federal level, instead leaving the responsibility of placing measures to tackle the virus to the individual states.

[109] On 17 December 2020, Bolsonaro made comments in jest at a political event in Porto Seguro, Bahia that people taking the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine might get side-effects including transforming into crocodiles, becoming superhuman, turning into bearded ladies, and developing effeminate voices.

[110] In early 2021, Bolsonaro's approval ratings fell again, mostly due to the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination controversies, and the concurrent economic crisis that evolved under his watch.

[111] Days after Brazil surpassed Russia as the country worst hit by COVID, Bolsonaro held a political rally in Brasília; while surrounded by supporters and his own security guards, who were wearing masks, he did not.

[112] In February, Supreme Court Justice Rosa Weber charged Bolsonaro with putting the Brazilian people at risk for spreading misinformation by encouraging the use of hydroxychloroquine as a valid treatment for COVID-19.

The opposition signed a document with multiple accusations, such as blaming Bolsonaro for the deaths of 500,000 Brazilians from COVID-19, stating that his government had blatantly turned down expert advice on tackling the virus, and more than 20 others.

[126] In 2019, a trade agreement was announced between Mercosur and European Union, which provides, among other matters, for the elimination of tariffs for various products, such as fruit, orange juice, instant coffee, fish, crustaceans, vegetable oils, and quotas for the sale of meat, sugar and ethanol.

[127] However, since then, France, which is a competitor of Brazil in the sale of commodities and which depends on the protectionism of the European Union to sell its products, has purposely and unilaterally blocked the execution of the agreement,[128] through massive demands, a common tactic in international negotiations to prevent actions.

[139] Bolsonaro has supported the Escola sem Partido (ESP), which encourages students to film teachers to collect evidence for its allegation that the education system is dominated by progressive parties.

[147][148] In June 2019, German chancellor Angela Merkel said she was concerned about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and would seek "straight talk" with Bolsonaro on the upcoming G20 summit in Osaka.

[152][153] In August 2019, Bolsonaro accused Macron of having "a misplaced colonialist mentality in the 21st century" in reference to criticism by the French president, when he called on G7 leaders to discuss the Amazon crisis.

[162] On 15 April 2021, in a letter to U.S. president Joe Biden, Bolsonaro said that Brazil is committed to ending illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030 and stated "the need of an adequate financial support from the international community, compatible with the magnitude and urgency of the challenges to be faced".

[163] According to TV host and entrepreneur Luciano Huck, outreach from the Biden administration "opens a door for Brazil to correct its current course of climate denialism".

[221] On 7 March 2020, Bolsonaro was hosted by the U.S. president Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago for a working dinner, where the two leaders discussed the U.S.-led effort to oust Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, a future trade deal and peace for the Middle East, also Trump reaffirmed his interest in upgrading the American military alliance with Brazil, suggesting give to the country a full NATO membership, as part of an effort to fortify the Western Hemisphere against Russian and Chinese influence.

[232] Biden welcomed Bolsonaro's words and the opportunity for the countries to join efforts, saying, "there are no limits to what Brazil and the U.S. can achieve together" and stressing that his administration was "ready to work closely with the Brazilian government in this new chapter of the bilateral relationship".

[233] On 6 April 2021, Bolsonaro discussed with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the creation of a consortium between Brazil and Russia for the mass production of the COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, in Brazilian territory, in addition to cooperation in trade, defence, science and technology.

[234][235] During the administration of the U.S. president Donald Trump, the U.S. pushed Brazil to reject Sputnik V.[236] According to The Economist magazine, Bolsonaro's policies are the main reason the EU has not ratified a trade deal with Mercosur.

[243] Tereza Cristina, the Minister of Agriculture, is accused of having benefited JBS in a process of land leasing while she was Secretary of State for Agrarian Development and Production of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Some mayors[252] also reported that those who denounced the scheme were retaliated through central government's suspension of previously agreed funding to local education and child care programmes and initiatives in those cities.

On 22 March, the then-Minister of Education Milton Ribeiro admitted, in a conversation with other pastors involved in the scheme, that he misused ministry's funds, diverting them to cities at Bolsonaro's request.

[266][267][268] On 19 July, a director at Caixa's internal affairs committee charged with receiving complaints was found dead at the bank's headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil's federal capital, leading to a local police investigation which is currently underway.

[287] A request by Brazil's prosecutor general office was sent to the country's jurisdiction to investigate Bolsonaro for negligence in the case of corruption allegations related to the purchase of Covaxin vaccines from India.

[289][284] In October, climate lawyers from the Austrian group AllRise filed yet another complaint about a "widespread attack on the Amazon, its dependents and its defenders that not only result in the persecution, murder and inhumane suffering in the region, but also upon the global population.

The Washington-based group urged Brazil's democratic institutions to protect voting and speech rights leading to the October 2022 presidential elections from any attempt by Jair Bolsonaro to subvert the electoral system.