USA: Warum Trump den Bolsonaro-Clan schützt

The peculiar story of Brazilian election loser Flávio Bolsonaro's flight to the United States has added an absurdity to the mix, according to the American President, Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Trump told journalists at the Joint Base Andrews military base that he would "not interfere in this case." This is the same president who, just a day earlier, referred to a "manipulated election" and questioned the victory of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, also known as Lula.

Trump had previously offered Bolsonaro and his family visas for entry to the United States. Lula won the runoff vote with 51.8% of the votes, while Bolsonaro received 48.2%. Despite the official recognition of the defeat, Bolsonaro did not acknowledge it. After an odyssey across the South American continent, he landed safely at the small Opa-locka private airport north of Miami with his wife and two daughters, according to Bolsonaro, who called himself the "head of Brazil" on the messaging app X. He accused his opponents of "stealing" the election and announced that he would lead the opposition in the future from the United States.

With Trump's support, he seemingly can count on it. On Wednesday evening, he spoke again of "an odd election," but said he did not want to comment further. The day before, he had emphasized that he only knew Flávio a little, calling the father "very well." He added, "I think they are decent people." The father is Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's former president, who fled to Florida in 2022 after his lost election against "Lula."

During his three-month stay, his supporters stormed Brasília and wrecked several government buildings on January 8, 2023. Returning home carelessly, Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for planning a coup and is currently under house arrest in Brasília. His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, can rely on a well-organized network of supporters in the United States, including his younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has been in the country since last March and organized support for the Trump administration in Brazil's legal fight against Jair Bolsonaro.

The Brazilian justice is investigating Flávio Bolsonaro for possible foreign financial support and has opened proceedings against him for potential financial support from abroad in accordance with the Brazilian Constitution, which forbids political parties from receiving foreign financial support.