Flavio Bolsonaro Arrives in Miami and Calls Himself Brazil's 'True President-Elect'

Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning with his family, days after losing Sunday's presidential election. He has refused to concede and has promised to challenge the result.

His plan to leave Brazil emerged late on Tuesday. He declined to follow a Brazilian Supreme Court order to hand over his passports in a money-laundering investigation, in which he denies wrongdoing. The US State Department later said it would grant visas to him and his family.

Within hours of landing, Bolsonaro described himself as the rightful president-elect and said he had left so he could be the leader "my people deserve." He claimed his victory had been taken from him in an electoral coup carried out by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the Supreme Court. The senator said he would lead the opposition from the United States.

In an open letter passed to journalists by his allies, he said: "I want to say, not only to my 60 million voters but to the Brazilian people, that I am the elected president and that the criminals who stole Brazil's election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny." He offered no evidence of fraud, and international observers have concluded that Sunday's vote was fair.

Bolsonaro, his wife and their two daughters were seen stepping off a Gulfstream G400 aircraft and entering the Miami-Opa Locka airport. Their route across the Americas drew attention across the region. They first flew to Argentina late on Tuesday, then took a private jet to Guayaquil in Ecuador, and continued from there to Miami.

His departure contrasts with a statement on Monday, when he wrote on Instagram that he had no intention of leaving Brazil. He said then that he would "hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me." His immunity from prosecution is set to end in February, when his Senate term finishes. According to the AFP news agency, he also holds Italian citizenship, which allowed him to travel even though his Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been canceled.

The move could add friction between the two most populous countries in the Americas. Bolsonaro's father, Jair Bolsonaro, also went to Florida after Brazil's previous presidential election. During the campaign, Lula accused the administration of US President Donald Trump of colluding with the Bolsonaro family to help them regain power.

After the results came in, Trump appeared to cast doubt on the vote, saying he thought the extension of voting times was a "very bad look." He has also alleged in the past that Jair Bolsonaro was the target of judicial persecution in Brazil. The elder Bolsonaro is currently in jail in Brazil on charges of leading a conspiracy meant to keep him in power despite his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.