President Trump on Tuesday said he supports former Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro's entry into the United States, days after Bolsonaro lost a runoff election to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Speaking to reporters outside Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said, "Well, I would approve. I think they're fine people."
Trump criticized the conduct of Brazil's election, asserting, "The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible. It got bad reviews, and look what happened to their market." He added that he "didn't take sides" in the contest, though he acknowledged knowing Flávio "a little bit" and his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been dubbed the "Trump of the tropics."
Trump's comments come after the State Department granted visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the U.S. Reports indicate that Bolsonaro had fled to Argentina and then Ecuador before the visa approval. The Reuters report also revealed that the State Department had aimed to tilt Brazil's election in Bolsonaro's favor in the lead-up to the vote.
The Brazilian Supreme Court, under Justice Alexandre de Moraes, had ordered Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passports and prohibited him from leaving the country, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Bolsonaro's brother, Eduardo, had earlier suggested that Flávio should leave Brazil if he lost the election.
Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, secured a historic fourth term as president. Both Lula and Bolsonaro had requested an extension of voting hours on election day, citing issues that prevented some voters from reaching polling stations. Bolsonaro has called for the election results to be annulled and has not formally conceded, though his Liberal Party accepted defeat on Monday, and allies have urged him to drop his challenges.
Speaking from the capital, Brasília, Lula criticized Bolsonaro's departure, saying, "This act of leaving Brazil is shameful. When I was asked to surrender my passport, I did so. He should have done the same. If the Federal Police suspected he was going to leave Brazil, he ought to have surrendered his. Regrettably, that is the Bolsonaro family for you."
Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio's father, is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a post-election coup in 2022, before Lula returned to power. Lula had previously served as president from 2003 to 2011. In a related historical note, Lula's own passport was seized in 2017 amid the Lava Jato corruption scandal, and he was later convicted, though the Supreme Court overturned that conviction in 2021, allowing him to run for office again.
The situation underscores the ongoing political turbulence in Brazil, with the Bolsonaro family facing legal scrutiny while the new Lula administration seeks to consolidate power. Trump's endorsement of Flávio Bolsonaro's U.S. visit adds an international dimension to the saga, as the former president remains a polarizing figure in American politics. This development also comes amid broader discussions about U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America, with some analysts drawing parallels to Trump's recent overtures toward Venezuela.
As the political fallout continues, observers are watching whether Bolsonaro's legal troubles will escalate and how the U.S. will handle his presence. The Biden administration has not commented on the visa decision, but the move has drawn criticism from some Democrats who view it as enabling a leader accused of undermining democratic processes.
