Flavio Bolsonaro claims Brazil’s presidency in 1st public address from US exile

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro published a letter Wednesday on social media describing himself as the country’s "leader" and vowed to lead the opposition to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from exile in the United States in his first public comments since fleeing Brazil in defiance of a Supreme Court travel ban.

Addressing his sudden departure, Bolsonaro said he was faced with the politicization of the justice system in Brazil, prompting him to bring his family to the United States.

"There is no arrest warrant against me because I have committed no crime. What is taking place is a politically motivated witch hunt, intended to use me as a hostage or an object of blackmail to shield corrupt Supreme Court justices from impeachment," he said.

The 45-year-old senator landed near Miami on Wednesday morning aboard a private jet following a clandestine land border crossing into Argentina. His arrival came less than 72 hours after losing Sunday’s presidential runoff election to Lula by a narrow margin of 51.76% to 48.24%.

Addressing supporters from Florida, the Liberal Party (PL) candidate explicitly rejected the official vote tallies certified by Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE).

"On Sunday night, I watched in horror as electoral fraud unfolded right before my eyes,” he said.

Despite claiming widespread manipulation during the vote count, Bolsonaro offered no physical evidence or concrete documentation to support his assertions.

His departure followed a dramatic high-court standoff in Brasília. On Monday, Federal Supreme Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes gave him 24 hours to surrender his travel documents amid an investigation into money laundering and financial fraud linked to digital betting platforms.

Rather than complying with the order, which led the Federal Police to invalidate his Brazilian passports, Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina's Misiones province using his national identity card before boarding a Miami-bound charter flight.

"I did not flee Brazil. I left for Brazil's sake. I left a state of exception so that I could be the leader my people deserve," he said, as he urged foreign governments not to recognize the incoming administration.

"To the international community, I ask not to normalize what is happening in Brazil."

Bolsonaro publicly thanked US President Donald Trump and "the wonderful American people” for welcoming him after the US State Department confirmed that it would grant entry visas to the senator and his immediate family.

Bolsonaro's decision to lead opposition efforts from American soil mirrors his father Jair Bolsonaro’s 2022 post-election stay in Florida, further fueling institutional strain between Brasilia and Washington as President Lula prepares to assume his historic fourth term on Jan. 5, 2027.

Laura Gamba Fadul