Flávio Bolsonaro, the defeated right-wing presidential candidate in Brazil's recent runoff election, arrived in Miami on Wednesday, ending more than 24 hours of uncertainty about his location following his unexpected departure from Brazil. The 45-year-old senator, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, landed at Opa-locka Executive Airport on a private Gulfstream IV jet that had stopped briefly in Guayaquil, Ecuador, after crossing into Argentina by land late Tuesday evening.
Bolsonaro’s departure defied a travel ban imposed by Brazil’s Supreme Court, which sought to prevent him from leaving the country amid ongoing investigations into alleged corruption and money laundering. Authorities in Brazil had ordered him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports shortly after he lost the presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Brazilian federal police later canceled his passports, although allies noted that Bolsonaro holds an Italian passport.
The route Bolsonaro took included crossing the Tancredo Neves International Bridge into Argentina, where migration authorities stated he had valid travel documents and faced no legal impediments. The plane he boarded in Argentina reportedly belonged to businessman Sergio Daniel Mastropietro, a figure linked to a recent bribery scandal in the Argentine government. Bolsonaro’s transit through Argentina prompted calls from opposition lawmakers for explanations on how the senator was allowed to travel, raising potential diplomatic tensions between Brazil and Argentina, whose president, Javier Milei, is a known ally of Bolsonaro.
The United States government granted visas to Bolsonaro and his family, with former President Donald Trump expressing skepticism about the Brazilian election’s legitimacy. Trump referred to the election process as “very strange” and “terrible,” although he did not formally take sides. Bolsonaro, a close ally of Trump and son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro, had visited the White House earlier this year.
In a public statement posted on social media, Flávio Bolsonaro declared himself the “true president of Brazil” and vowed to lead the opposition from the United States, accusing Lula’s government of electoral fraud and tyranny. He has not conceded defeat and previously threatened to seek annulment of the election results, citing a controversial extension of voting hours during the runoff.
Lula, who secured 51.8 percent of the vote, called Bolsonaro’s flight “shameful” during his 81st birthday celebration in Brasília. Lula criticized the move as an attempt to avoid facing corruption allegations and suggested that Bolsonaro had something to hide. The election had been marked by tension, including Bolsonaro’s refusal to concede for several days and his criticisms of the electoral process.
The departure marks a continuation of a pattern among Bolsonaro supporters facing legal issues in Brazil who have fled the country. Flávio Bolsonaro’s father, Jair, spent three months in Florida last year after losing the 2022 election, and several close allies of the family have similarly sought refuge abroad amid legal challenges. Meanwhile, Brazilian authorities face scrutiny for their inability to prevent Bolsonaro’s exit, given the travel ban. The senator’s supporters remain active in calling for resistance against Lula’s administration from abroad.