Flavio Bolsonaro Flies to Miami, Claims Victory in Brazil
The defeated senator defied a court order to surrender his passports and declared himself the rightful president-elect from the United States.
By Amina Howard ·
Flavio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning with his wife and two daughters.
He landed at the Miami-Opa Locka airport on a Gulfstream G400, hours after a complex flight that took him from Brazil to Argentina, then to Guayaquil in Ecuador, before reaching the United States. The senator had lost the presidential election held on Sunday.
His departure followed a decision made late Tuesday to leave the country. Bolsonaro declined to comply with an order from the Brazilian Supreme Court requiring him to hand over his passports for a money-laundering investigation. He denies wrongdoing in that case. The US State Department confirmed it would grant visas to him and his family.
Bolsonaro contradicted a statement he posted on Instagram on Monday. In that post, he wrote that he had no intention of leaving Brazil and would surrender his passports to defend against what he called an attempt to intimidate him. He traveled using his Italian citizenship because his Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been canceled.
Upon arriving in the United States, Bolsonaro labeled himself the true president-elect. He described his victory as stolen in an electoral coup orchestrated by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the Supreme Court. He stated his goal was to lead the opposition from US soil so he could serve as the leader his people deserve.
In a letter shared with journalists, Bolsonaro addressed his 60 million voters. He called the officials who validated the election part of a criminal organization that established a tyranny. He provided no new evidence of fraud. International observers reviewed the Sunday vote and concluded it was fair.
His Senate immunity from prosecution ends in February when his term concludes. The move may strain relations between the two largest economies in the Americas. Former President Jair Bolsonaro also traveled to Florida after the 2022 election. Current US President Donald Trump recently questioned the voting extensions used in Brazil and has previously alleged that the elder Bolsonaro faced judicial persecution. Jair Bolsonaro is currently jailed in Brazil on charges of leading a conspiracy to retain power after his defeat.
