Flávio Bolsonaro Lands In South Florida After Brazilian Election Defeat

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro landed in South Florida on Wednesday morning after fleeing his home country following a defeat in the presidential election — and in the face of multiple criminal probes.

Photographs taken Wednesday morning showed Bolsonaro, who lost a runoff election Sunday to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, stepping out of a plane at a Miami-area airport. His arrival to the U.S. comes soon after the Trump administration said it would grant visas to the failed presidential candidate and his family. President Donald Trump has also made claims that Brazil’s election looked like it was “rigged,” without offering evidence.

It’s unclear what type of visa Bolsonaro would be given or how long he would be able to stay in the U.S., though his family’s right-wing political dynasty is tied to longtime Trump advisers and associates.

In a speech Tuesday, Lula said he had tried to get Bolsonaro to prove his honesty by handing over documents but said he was “the most dishonest figure I’ve ever seen on planet Earth” and said the act of leaving Brazil was “shameful.”

“When they asked me to hand over my passport, I did,” Lula said. “He should have handed his over. But unfortunately, that’s the Bolsonaro family for you. Brazil is his second homeland. His first is licking the boots of the U.S."

Bolsonaro has been under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering tied to a failed lender, according to unsealed court documents. His brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, was granted permanent residence in the U.S. this year and also faces corruption charges.

The right-wing candidate left Brazil with his wife and two daughters Tuesday before crossing into Argentina, according to The Washington Post. They then boarded a private plane in Ecuador. After Bolsonaro’s election defeat, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes signaled prosecutions may be coming and requested that the politician relinquish his passport.

Florida has close ties to the South American country, and a large population of Brazilians live in the Sunshine State. Trump selected former state House Speaker Daniel Perez to become U.S. ambassador to Brazil.

Yet relations between the U.S. and Brazil have been tense since Trump’s return to the White House, with Brazilian officials saying in August that the country wouldn’t fold under U.S. pressure to accept Perez’s ambassadorship.

A Brazilian official, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive diplomatic matter, told POLITICO that whether Brazil approves Perez’s ambassadorship depends on how the U.S. acts in the coming days with Bolsonaro’s arrival.

“What can damage the relations more than anything is not really [Bolsonaro] being here but what Trump will be saying in the next days and weeks while he’s here,” the official said. “The Trump administration has absolutely nothing to gain in picking a fight more than ever with Brazil. Trump now knows Lula is the guy he will be talking to for the next two years."

Bolsonaro’s escape to Florida also echoes similar actions by his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who came to the state and stayed for several months after losing a presidential election in 2022. He currently remains under house arrest in Brazil and faces charges of fomenting a coup against Lula.

A spokesperson for Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava did not immediately respond to questions about Bolsonaro’s arrival.

Nahal Toosi and Eva Hartog contributed to this report.