Flavio Bolsonaro reaches Miami after leaving Brazil amid controversy (Img: X)
New Delhi: Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has arrived in Miami, with his family after leaving Brazil through Argentina and Ecuador. He renewed his allegations that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s election victory was fraudulent. The 45-year-old has vowed to challenge the result despite offering no evidence to support his claims.
After disappearing from public view for more than a day, Bolsonaro took to X to declare himself the rightful leader of Latin America’s largest country. His departure came as Brazil’s Supreme Court investigated him and ordered him to surrender his passports.
"On Sunday night, I was stunned by an electoral fraud that was made reality before my eyes," he wrote.
Bolsonaro accused Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, a former lawyer for Lula, of "illegitimate activity". He also alleged that the court "permitted a mathematical impossibility that added 10 million votes between the first and second rounds" of the election.
Bolsonaro initially remained in Brasilia after his electoral defeat on Sunday, refusing to recognise the result and promising to seek its annulment.
On Monday, he posted a video on Instagram in which he said the Supreme Court had barred him from leaving Brazil in "a clear attempt to intimidate me."
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"I never had any intention of leaving the country. I will surrender my passports and defend myself against this travesty," he said.
However, he did not surrender his passports as ordered by the court. The order was linked to ongoing investigations into his activities, amid concerns that he might leave the country.
Speculation about Bolsonaro’s whereabouts intensified on Tuesday after reports emerged that he might be preparing to leave Brazil. His campaign manager, Rogerio Marinho, said he did not know where the senator was.
"I received a text message from him this morning, where he said he would let some time pass today and then would talk with us, and that was it," Marinho said.
Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina on Wednesday through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, which connects Foz do Iguacu in Brazil with Puerto Iguazu in Argentina. Argentine authorities said he entered "with valid travel documents and no legal impediment".
Although Brazil’s Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender his Brazilian and diplomatic passports, Bolsonaro also holds an Italian passport. His precise route from Brasilia to the Argentine border remains unclear.
From Argentina, he and his family travelled on a private jet to Guayaquil, Ecuador, where the aircraft reportedly made a brief refuelling stop before continuing to Miami.
The family eventually landed at Opa-Locka airport in Florida. Brazilian police said there was no official record of Bolsonaro’s departure from the country. Authorities were investigating his failure to surrender his passports, but said this did not make him a fugitive.
US President Donald Trump, a longstanding supporter of the Bolsonaro family, confirmed that Washington had allowed the senator to enter the United States.
"Well, I'm not going to make a comment about that, but I know that we gave him a pass to come into the country, so we'll see."
Q: Flávio Bolsonaro has declared himself the "rightful president" of Brazil. Do you agree?
Trump: I'm not going to make a comment about that.
I won't get involved. It was a very strange election, that's for sure. https://t.co/CfzV1yuGsb
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 28, 2026
Bolsonaro’s arrival has raised questions about his next political move. Reports suggest he intends to establish an opposition operation from the United States and continue challenging Lula’s victory from abroad.
However, there has been little indication that the Trump administration intends to go beyond allowing Bolsonaro to enter the country and actively challenge the Brazilian election result.
For now, Bolsonaro’s departure has added another layer of uncertainty to Brazil’s political tensions, as investigations into his conduct continue and he presses allegations of electoral fraud without publicly substantiating them.
