After losing the recent election, Flavio Bolsonaro has declared himself the legitimate president of Brazil, having fled to the United States to avoid a court-ordered travel ban.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Tuesday, reportedly refusing to surrender his passports. Initially, he referred to himself as Brazil’s “elected president” in a message on X but later rephrased his statement to label himself as the nation’s rightful “leader.” He attributed his electoral loss to an alleged coup orchestrated by the Supreme Court and the Workers’ Party’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Lula secured victory in the runoff with 51.79% of the vote, compared to Bolsonaro’s 48.21%, which translates to roughly 4.43 million fewer votes for Bolsonaro, as noted by Latin Times. The federal electoral court, other governments, and even Bolsonaro’s party recognized the results.
In his statement, Bolsonaro addressed not only his 60 million supporters but also the broader Brazilian populace, claiming, “I am the leader and that the criminals who stole Brazil’s election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny,” as reported by Reuters.
CARTA À NAÇÃO BRASILEIRA 🇧🇷 28.10.26 https://t.co/QqOGZuF8G0
— Flávio Bolsonaro (@FlavioBolsonaro) October 28, 2026
Following a court order from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, he was expected to turn over his passports due to connections to a money-laundering investigation and a distinct film-financing case. As of the Tuesday deadline, he had not complied. Bolsonaro expressed gratitude to Argentine President Javier Milei for assistance with his travels, and to Trump for facilitating visa entries for his family, according to Reuters.
He also emphasized that he was not running away from anything, stating, “I want to make this clear: I did not flee Brazil. I left Brazil, but I did not abandon the Brazilian people.”
The basis for Bolsonaro’s accusation of election fraud revolves around a two-hour extension given for voting by a justice appointed by Lula. This decision followed claims of voter suppression from Lula’s camp. Interestingly, Bolsonaro’s team had also requested additional time due to rain in the southern region of Brazil. However, fewer than 35,000 votes, which is about 0.03% of the total, were cast during this extended period, according to an analysis by Insper’s Pedro Burgos.
In the first round of elections, Bolsonaro garnered 47% of the vote against Lula’s 45% and was anticipated to win the runoff, especially after receiving support from two candidates who combined secured over 5% of the votes. Lula made history as the first presidential candidate in Brazil to win a runoff after not placing first in the initial round.
Trump, when questioned at Joint Base Andrews, reiterated his belief that Brazil had experienced “a very strange election,” as reported by Reuters.
Flavio Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, also traveled to the U.S. after contesting his own 2022 loss to Lula. He eventually returned to Brazil and is currently under house arrest for 27 years due to his involvement in a coup plot.
