Son of Brazilian Immigrants Vies for the White House 'for a Healthy America'

06/27/2016 - 11h27

After an African American president and a female candidate from a major party, the United States has a chance to make history once again: vote for Silva.

The plea comes from Rod, the son of Brazilian immigrants, who inherited the most popular last name in Brazil, and one of the 1,811 registered in the FEC (Federal Election Commission) to take over Barack Obama's position.

You will most likely only hear about 0.16% of them -Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump and, with some good will, Libertarian Gary Johnson, who in 2012 received 1% of the vote and is at 10% in the 2016 polls.

It is relatively easy to run for president in the United States. According to the constitution, you must be 35 and over (Silva is 42) and a natural-born citizen who has been residing in the country for at least 14 years (Brazilian Silva was born and raised in New Jersey).

It is also a breeze to be listed as a presidential hopeful by the FEC -after "spending" or "receiving" US $5,000 in contributions, you fill out a form. Done.

The hard part is letting the electorate know you exist. Every one of the 50 registered American states has specific rules for adding candidates to an electoral ballot. Nationally, only Hillary and Trump have accomplished this feat.

Injecting "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in the campaign, Silva secured his appearance on the ballot in one state: Colorado. But he explains that a voter can write in a name or even add a sticker with the name of an independent.

He's not a complete stranger in the United States. In 1995, he started a chain of restaurants with healthy alternatives to fast food, Muscle Maker Grill, where a premium burger comes with turkey bacon.

His campaign motivation: he has never seen the United States this fat and has decided to do something about it. "People here are so big and stressed".

He claims to represent the Nutrition party, a think tank he started with friends from the "fitness world"-a world he has belonged to since a girlfriend called him "skinny" when he was 15.

Today he works out every day, after reading the bible and motivational posts on Facebook -preferably by Tony Robbins, who also found a fan in Bill Clinton.

The slogan, "Make America Healthy Again", is almost identical to Trump's "Make America Great Again".

His rhetoric also mimics the magnates: "I'm not part of the clique in Washington. As a successful businessman, I understand economic challenges", he said.

If Trump counts having started his career with a "small loan" (US$ 1 million from his father), Silva started his with US $6,000 in credit.

The terrorism no one talks about, he says, are the "warheads" of carbohydrates and sugars in American cuisine.

It hurts the body (high cholesterol affects 71 million Americans) and the pocket (the population's high blood pressure costs the country US$ 46 billion per year), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The presidential hopeful, who speaks Portuguese with an accent, admits: he doesn't see himself setting foot in the Oval Office. The goal is to allow the projection of flags to provide a subsidy for citizens to go to the gym.

Silva, who voted for Republican Mitt Romney in 2012, thinks Hillary and Trump are out of shape and not just politically. Look at the magnate, who showed a note from his doctor, claiming that he would be "the healthiest" of the presidents. "If I had his billions, I would work two times harder [on the physical]."

Out of the loop when it comes to Brazilian politics, he was surprised to learn that Dilma Rousseff, before being suspended from office due to alleged tax pedaling, took to her bicycle. "Maybe that's her calling."

For Rod Silva, health is what matters.

Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ

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	Divulgação
	Rod Silva, son of Brazilian immigrants, vies for the White House 'for a healthy America'