‘It’s impossible not to be outraged’, says Janja about Trump’s ally who called Brazilian women a ‘cursed race’

First lady Janja da Silva made a post on social media saying it was “impossible not to be outraged” by speeches by Paolo Zampolli, an ally of American President Donald Trump and the American government’s special envoy for global affairs. In an interview with RAI, an Italian radio station, Zampolli stated that “Brazilian women are programmed to cause confusion” and that they are a “cursed race”. Trump advisor says Brazilians are ‘cursed race’ and ‘programmed to cause confusion’ Zampolli was married for almost 20 years to a Brazilian, Amanda Ungaro, and the two have a 15-year-old son whose custody is being disputed in American courts. Janja recalled that Zampolli is accused by his ex-wife of domestic violence and sexual and psychological abuse. “Brazilian women, with great strength and courage, daily break cycles of violence and silencing,” said the first lady in the post. “We are not programmed for anything. We are people with a voice, with dreams and we fight daily to live with dignity and freedom to be whoever we want.” Trump’s friend made misogynistic speeches against Brazilian women on Italian radio. OLIVER BUNIC / AFP The Ministry of Women also spoke out on the issue. In a statement, the organization repudiated the American advisor’s statements, “which reinforce hate speech and devalue the country’s women, in violation of dignity and respect.” “Misogyny does not constitute an opinion. It is a manifestation of hatred, aversion and incitement to violence, constituting a criminal practice. In this sense, the Ministry emphasizes that hatred against girls and women cannot be relativized under the argument of freedom of expression”, says the text. Interference in deportation Zampolli was accused, in a report by “The New York Times”, of having politically influenced Amanda’s deportation to Brazil, after being detained for alleged fraud in the workplace. According to the newspaper, Zampolli allegedly called the then-senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official, David Venturella, in June 2025, after the arrest of his ex-wife in Miami. Misogyny is the Trump administration’s method, says Sadi after advisor’s speech Zampolli learned of the arrest and suggested to authorities that his ex-wife was illegal in the country, questioning the possibility of transferring her to ICE detention, according to records obtained by the newspaper and a source familiar with the matter. According to the NYT, Venturella contacted the ICE office in Miami, highlighting that the case was of interest to someone close to the White House, to ensure that agency agents would pick up Ungaro from prison before she was released on bail. She was placed in ICE custody and later deported. Currently in Brazil, Ungaro told the NYT that he believed that Zampolli’s influence was decisive in his deportation and reported that he had promised marriage and immigration stability during the relationship. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in a statement that Ungaro was detained and deported because her visa had expired and she had been accused of fraud. “Any suggestion that she was arrested and removed for political reasons or favors is FALSE,” it said in a statement.

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