Bolsonaro: ‘I am the true president of Brazil; I will lead the opposition from the US’
Unlike his party, Bolsonaro has not yet recognised Lula’s victory and has refused to comply with a Supreme Court order requiring him to hand over his passports
Flavio Bolsonaro, who fled to the United States after losing the election to the incumbent president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has claimed to be the ‘true president of Brazil’. ‘I am the elected president, and the criminals who stole the election in Brazil are part of a criminal organisation that has established a tyranny,’ the senator wrote in a statement published on his X profile, denouncing ‘electoral fraud’. “From here, I will lead the opposition,” added the fugitive senator.
President Donald Trump has stated that he welcomes the arrival in the United States of Bolsonaro, following his defeat in Sunday’s presidential election in Brazil against Lula. A senior US State Department official has indicated that entry visas will be granted to him and his family, as reported on Tuesday by Reuters. “Well, I’d be in favour of that,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews upon his return from a campaign trip to Texas, adding that he had heard Bolsonaro was in Argentina.
Unlike his party, Bolsonaro has not recognised the victory of the incumbent president, the left-wing candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and has left Brazil after refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order requiring him to hand over his passports.
“I think they’re good people,” said Trump. “The elections were very strange; I thought they were terrible. They received terrible reviews. Just look at what happened to their stock market.” Trump added: “I think it’s really terrible to witness all this. I haven’t taken sides with anyone, you know. I know them both. I know Lula. I know Flavio a bit. And I know his father very well’. Trump is referring to former President Jair Bolsonaro, who has previously claimed to have been the victim of judicial persecution in Brazil. “His father was treated really badly. That’s what I think, but I haven’t been involved,” Trump added. “It’s Brazil. It’s a different country.”
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro has arrived in Florida, where he has already met up with his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, a former MP, and his family. This is according to the Brazilian news website Metrópoles, which reports that Flávio Bolsonaro travelled to the US with his wife and two daughters.
