Bolsonaro Flees to Miami
The defeated senator used an Italian passport to bypass Brazilian courts and land in Florida with his family.
By Elena Svoboda ·
Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. The arrival concludes a rapid exit from South America that began after he refused to concede the presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He is the second Bolsonaro to flee to Florida following a defeat to Lula, following the path of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, in 2022.
The 45-year-old senator departed Brazil late Tuesday. He traveled to Argentina with his wife and two daughters, crossing the border at a checkpoint. Argentine immigration officials confirmed the group entered the country and immediately boarded a private charter plane. Flight data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, around 4 a.m. local time before departing minutes later for Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.
Bolsonaro is under investigation by Brazil’s Supreme Court. The charges include corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. The court ordered him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports by noon Tuesday. It was unclear if he complied with that specific order. However, a Brazilian diplomat told The Associated Press that Bolsonaro used an Italian passport to enter Argentina. The diplomat noted that Brazilians exiting via land borders are not heavily scrutinized by domestic authorities.
On Wednesday, Bolsonaro issued a statement on the social platform X. He described himself as a victim of electoral fraud and political persecution. He requested the annulment of the Lula-Alckmin ticket. In the initial text, he claimed to be the president-elect. He later edited the letter to refer to himself as the leader of Brazil. He stated that criminals who stole the election formed a tyranny.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reacted to the departure on Tuesday. Speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasilia, Lula said he regretted Bolsonaro’s decision to leave. The 81-year-old president called the act shameful. He argued that Bolsonaro could have stayed in Brazil to prove the accusations against him were false.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the move. His administration approved U.S. visas for Bolsonaro and his family earlier this week. Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that the election was strange and terrible. He described Bolsonaro and his family as fine people. When asked about Bolsonaro’s claim to be the rightful president-elect, Trump said he would not get involved. He noted he had given Bolsonaro a pass to enter the United States.
The route through Argentina has diplomatic implications. Argentine President Javier Milei is also an ally of Trump. Milei traveled to Brazil to assist in Bolsonaro’s campaign. A spokesperson for Milei, Juan Pablo Carreira, posted on social media that the Argentine administration rescued Bolsonaro from the claws of communism. He claimed the opposing side seeks to imprison all opposition figures. The Brazilian government has not responded to requests for comment regarding the transit.
Bolsonaro visited his father in Brasilia before leaving. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for an attempted coup. Flávio Bolsonaro said in a video on Monday that he was organizing opposition among congressional colleagues. His eight-year term as a senator expires on January 31, 2027. His party, the Liberal Party, issued a statement accepting the election results.
The Supreme Court investigation focuses on a sports betting company. Bolsonaro is accused of laundering fraudulent deductions from government pensions paid to senior citizens. In a separate case, he faces accusations of accepting millions of dollars from a disgraced banker. He has denied wrongdoing in both matters. Leaders around the world and the Organization of American States have endorsed Lula’s victory. Lula won the second round by a margin of approximately 4.4 million votes.
The United States has imposed double-digit sanctions on Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America. Lula’s government has deepened trade ties with China and sought influence through the BRICS group of emerging economies. This contrasts with Bolsonaro’s close alignment with Washington.
Source: MySA
