Trump admin embraces fleeing Bolsonaro, losing Brazilian presidential candidate

Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro fled his home country and arrived in the U.S. Tuesday, described by some on the right as a political refugee. After recently losing a presidential campaign against incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s passports were ordered seized by the government. Instead of turning them over, Bolsonaro took off with family members, traveling through Argentina, Ecuador and finally landing in Miami, Florida. The Trump administration was quick to issue a visa to Bolsonaro and members of his family, a senior State Department official told the Washington Post.

Bolsonaro ‌thanked Argentine President Javier Milei and President Donald Trump for helping him escape. He later posted on X, declaring himself “the elected president,” before that post was deleted and replaced with a letter saying he was the rightful “leader” of Brazil.

Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, is currently under investigation by Brazil’s Supreme Court for alleged money laundering, corruption and tax evasion in two cases, but has yet to be charged with a crime. If Bolsonaro is charged and convicted in the investigation, he could face extradition from the U.S.. His father is currently serving a 27 year prison sentence for trying to stage a coup in 2023, but for health reasons has been serving his sentence under house arrest. The elder Bolsonaro also traveled to Florida on the eve of Lula’s inauguration in December 2022 after losing the election.

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Lula won reelection by over 4 million votes on Oct. 25, defeating Bolsonaro in the second round of an election that promises to have profound implications for Latin American politics. It also gives Trump, an ally of the Bolsonaro family, less influence in South America. 

“I regret that he left Brazil, because he could have stayed here and proven that the accusations are not true,” Lula told supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasilia. “This act of leaving Brazil is shameful.”