President Donald Trump said Flávio Bolsonaro may remain in the United States “as long as he wants” after the Brazilian politician fled to Florida following his election defeat.
Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, Trump added that Bolsonaro had been “treated very shabbily” and called the Brazilian election “a disgrace.” He clarified he had no plans to meet Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, arrived in Miami with his family on October 28. He left Brazil two days after losing the presidential runoff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who secured 51.79% of the vote. A Brazilian judge had ordered the seizure of Bolsonaro’s passports amid a money-laundering investigation, with police deeming him a flight risk.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that American authorities had no direct role in organizing Bolsonaro’s departure. Rubio stated the U.S. had approved Bolsonaro’s entry provided he presented valid travel documents at a port of entry. Bolsonaro and his family held U.S. entry visas, enabling their travel.
Bolsonaro has refused to accept the election result, alleging fraud without evidence. In a video posted Friday, he claimed he left Brazil “for the good of the country” and denied fleeing to evade legal consequences. Brazilian authorities had requested the surrender of his travel documents but had not issued an arrest warrant.
