Yet Another Defeated Bolsonaro Flees to the United States

In December 2022, after losing the Brazilian presidential election, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro traveled to the United States. He avoided the customary power transfer ceremony and settled in Florida, residing with an MMA fighter. His supporters in Brazil staged a coup attempt that included plans to assassinate Lula, and Bolsonaro was subsequently convicted of the failed coup and sentenced to 27 years in prison, serving his time at home due to health issues.

Now, days after Lula's victory in the 2026 presidential election, another member of the Bolsonaro family, Flávio Bolsonaro, has reportedly fled to the United States. According to media reports, Flávio has left Brazil for the United States, where he is reportedly seeking asylum from the Trump administration. Similar to his father, Flávio initially refused to concede defeat and stated his intention to annul the election results; however, his own party eventually acknowledged Lula's win.

For the first time in 24 years, Flávio faced the prospect of being out of public office as he had not been re-elected. The Brazilian authorities have issued an order prohibiting Flávio from leaving the country and instructing him to surrender his passports amid an investigation into a money-laundering scheme he is suspected of participating in. Flávio missed the deadline to surrender his travel documents, and the Brazilian federal police are now investigating whether he has left the country via Argentina.

Flávio's departure to the United States is not unexpected, given the history of Bolsonaro and his associates seeking refuge in America. Several other Bolsonaro-linked figures, including Flávio's brother Eduardo, have also taken refuge in the United States. Eduardo, a key intermediary between the Brazilian far right and the Trump administration, has been "self-exiled" in the United States since early 2025.

He has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison for "coercion" in interfering with his father's criminal trial by lobbying the Trump administration. Eduardo has even pushed for the US government to impose tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctions against authorities like Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had earlier issued an arrest warrant for Eduardo.

Eduardo has called on his brother to leave Brazil if he loses the election, and a US official reportedly confirmed that Flávio is flying to Florida, though his actual whereabouts remain unknown.