Brazil Election: Flávio Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Refusing Concession
The defeated presidential candidate and his family traveled through Argentina and Ecuador to Florida, where U.S. visas were approved this week.
By Maya Sokolov ·
Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday morning after refusing to concede Brazil's presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The 45-year-old senator landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport at approximately 9:30 a.m. EDT, accompanied by his wife and two daughters. He stepped from the aircraft wearing a dark polo shirt, joining the largest population of Brazilians in the United States, which resides in Florida.
The family departed Brazil late Tuesday using a circuitous route. Argentine immigration officials stated that the group entered via a border checkpoint and boarded a private charter plane. Flight data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, around 4 a.m. local time before taking off for Miami. The Trump administration approved U.S. visas for Bolsonaro and his family earlier in the week.
Bolsonaro is under investigation by Brazil's Supreme Court for corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. The court ordered him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports by noon on Tuesday. While it remained unclear if he complied, allies noted he holds an Italian passport. A Brazilian diplomat told The Associated Press that Bolsonaro used that document to cross into Argentina, a route that bypasses strict scrutiny applied to those leaving by land.
In his first public comments, Bolsonaro posted a statement on X calling himself the victim of electoral fraud and political persecution. He declared himself the president-elect and described his opponents as a criminal organization that established a tyranny. He also requested the annulment of the Lula-Alckmin ticket. In a later version of the post, he changed the term president-elect to leader.
Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, addressed supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasília before the family landed in Florida. He stated that he regretted Bolsonaro's departure because the former candidate could have stayed to prove the accusations were false. Lula described the act of leaving the country as shameful.
Argentine President Javier Milei, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, did not comment directly on the defeat. However, presidential spokesperson Juan Pablo Carreira said on social media that Milei's administration rescued Bolsonaro from the claws of communism. This diplomatic move may strain relations between Brasília and Buenos Aires, especially since Milei visited Brazil to assist Bolsonaro's campaign.
Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday that the election was strange and terrible. He described Bolsonaro and his family as fine people and said he gave Bolsonaro a pass to enter the United States. When asked about Bolsonaro's claim to be the rightful president-elect, Trump said he would not get involved.
World leaders and the Organization of American States have endorsed the results, congratulating Lula, who won the second round by a margin of approximately 4.4 million votes. Bolsonaro’s eight-year term as a senator ends on January 31, 2027. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for an attempted coup following his 2022 loss.
Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party issued a statement accepting the election results. The Supreme Court investigation alleges Bolsonaro used a sports betting company to launder fraudulent pension deductions and accepted millions of dollars from a disgraced banker. He has denied all wrongdoing.
Source: MySA
