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Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil’s presidential election to left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, declared himself the country’s leader after arriving in Florida on Wednesday.
Bolsonaro fled his country after Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the seizure of his passports less than a day after Lula won the election.
“I want to say, not only to my 60 million voters but also to the Brazilian people, that I am the leader and that the criminals who stole the Brazilian elections are part of a criminal organization that established a tyranny,” he said in an open letter published on X.
According to Reuters, Bolsonaro initially declared himself “president-elect” in a since-deleted message. He then sent an updated letter to X, in which he notably called himself the legitimate “leader” of Brazil.
Bolsonaro, who lost the runoff election by a margin of 3.58 percent, was ordered to confiscate his passport and not leave the country on Monday.
“I was ordered in the street to hand over my passports, and I am also prohibited from leaving the country,” Bolsonaro said, according to a digital translation by Fox News of a video he posted on his social media on Monday.
The order was signed by de Moraes, who Bolsonaro supporters accuse of being a loyal ally of Lula.
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Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro disembarks from a plane after arriving at Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami, Florida, October 28, 2026. (REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Bolsonaro landed at Opa Locka Executive Airport, just north of Miami, with his family Wednesday morning after President Donald Trump granted visas to Bolsonaro and his family.
Asked Wednesday whether he would approve of Bolsonaro coming to the United States after his defeat, Trump told reporters he would, adding: “I think they’re good people.”
“The election was very strange,” Trump continued. “And I thought it was terrible. It got bad reviews. Look what happened to their market.”
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The Brazilian stock market fell on Monday after Lula’s victory. Its benchmark index, the Ibovespa, closed down almost 14% on the first day of post-election trading. The Brazilian real also suffered one of the biggest declines in its history, losing almost 11% of its value against the US dollar.
Flávio Bolsonaro arrives at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in Opa-locka, Florida. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandie)
Trump also said, “I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election.” »
Brazilian media outlet MD+ reported that Brazilian federal police requested an order to seize Bolsonaro’s passport just seven minutes after Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court confirmed Lula’s victory.
Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, initially said he would comply with the order but ultimately chose to leave.
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“I never thought about leaving the country,” Bolsonaro said in a social media video Monday. “I will surrender my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is clearly an attempt to intimidate me.”
But Bolsonaro eventually crossed the border into Argentina, Argentina’s National Directorate of Migration confirmed, saying the Bolsonaro family entered the country “with valid travel documents and without any legal obstacles” on Tuesday evening. The family then crossed the border into Ecuador where they boarded a private plane to Florida, according to Time Magazine.
Lula called his decision to leave “a shameful act,” recalling his own arrest in 2018 on corruption charges.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaks during an interview with Reuters at Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, August 6, 2025. (Reuters/Adriano Machado)
Bolsonaro said the order followed a social media post from his brother Eduardo in which he said Flávio would have to leave the country if he lost the election.
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Flávio was the subject of several criminal investigations for money laundering, corruption and tax evasion, according to Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo.
According to Reuters, Bolsonaro denied fleeing Brazil, saying he left to protect himself and his family. He said he wanted to avoid a witch hunt led by Lula and Brazil’s Supreme Court.
“I want to make it clear: I did not flee Brazil,” Bolsonaro said. “I left Brazil, but I did not abandon the Brazilian people.”
On Tuesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court also ordered federal police to open an investigation into alleged illegal foreign financing of Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign, focusing specifically on Rockbridge Network, a conservative donor group co-founded by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
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The offices of Flavio Bolsonaro, President Lula da Silva, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment.
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