Flavio Bolsonaro lands in US, declares himself 'leader' of Brazil

Bolsonaro's plan to leave Brazil became public knowledge late on Tuesday, soon after he had refused to concede defeat and pledged to challenge the results. He had previously defied a Brazilian Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, which were tied to a money-laundering investigation he denies involvement in. The US State Department later confirmed it would grant him and his family visas.

Self-proclaimed leader

Hours after arriving in the US, Bolsonaro declared himself the rightful president-elect of Brazil, stating he had left the country to be the leader "my people deserve." He later altered his message to call himself the "leader" rather than "president-elect." He claimed his victory had been denied by an electoral coup d'etat by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Brazil's Supreme Court.

Flight path to Miami

Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters were seen disembarking a Gulfstream G400 plane at Miami-Opa Locka airport on Wednesday morning. Their journey had captured regional attention, with the quartet first flying into Argentina late on Tuesday, then taking a private jet to Ecuador's Guayaquil before continuing to Florida.

Bolsonaro would lose his immunity from prosecution in February when his Senate term ends. On Monday, he had stated in an Instagram post that he had no intention of leaving Brazil and would "hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty." According to AFP, Bolsonaro holds Italian citizenship, allowing him to travel despite his Brazilian and diplomatic passports being canceled.

Diplomatic implications

Bolsonaro's arrival in Florida mirrors his father Jair Bolsonaro's actions after Brazil's previous presidential elections and could deepen a rift between the two most populous countries in the Americas. During the election campaign, President Lula had accused the Trump administration of colluding with the Bolsonaro family to help them return to power.

After the election results, Trump questioned the integrity of the vote, calling the extension to voting times a "very bad look." He had previously alleged that Jair Bolsonaro was the victim of judicial persecution in Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro is currently in jail in Brazil on charges of leading a conspiracy designed to keep him in power despite defeat in 2022's presidential election.