Trump approved allowing Flávio Bolsonaro to enter US after Brazil election loss, source says
Flávio Bolsonaro waves after casting his vote in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
By Max Saltman, Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, Julia Vargas Jones, Jennifer Hansler, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump approved allowing Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro entry into the United States following his election loss, a Trump adviser told CNN.
Trump administration officials were aware on Monday that Bolsonaro had roughly 24 hours to surrender his passport and made clear to the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate that he would be allowed entry in the US, the adviser said.
The US is issuing visas to Bolsonaro and his family, two US officials earlier told CNN.
A Brazilian source close to Bolsonaro said that the politician had feared arrest in Brazil. He is currently under investigation by the country’s highest court for alleged acts of corruption, money laundering and currency evasion. A person familiar with the situation told CNN on Tuesday afternoon that Bolsonaro had arrived in the US. It remains unclear where he landed.
It is currently unclear whether Trump and Bolsonaro spoke directly by phone prior the Brazilian politician’s departure.
Sources earlier confirmed to CNN that Bolsonaro had left Brazil for the US after losing Sunday’s presidential election. Brazil’s Federal Police canceled Bolsonaro’s passports after he failed to surrender them, affiliate CNN Brasil reported.
Speculation about his movements mounted after Argentine news outlet Infobae reported that Bolsonaro, a Trump-aligned candidate, had left Brazil via Argentina after losing Sunday’s runoff presidential election against leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Argentine government said in a statement that it has “no record of Flávio Bolsonaro entering” the country.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to turn in his passports within 24 hours on Monday. CNN has reached out to Bolsonaro, his political party and the Brazilian Federal Police for comment on the senator’s whereabouts.
Bolsonaro said Brazilian police had informed him of the order in person and told him he was banned from leaving Brazil. In a video posted to Instagram on Monday, the senator denied that he intended to flee.
One of the allegations against Bolsonaro is connected to potential illegal online betting platforms, and another to the production of a biopic about his father, “Dark Horse,” which federal police believe involved funds from Banco Master, a now-collapsed bank at the heart of a $7 billion Ponzi-like scheme in 2025. Bolsonaro denies all wrongdoing.
At the time of his departure from Brazil, there were no warrants for his arrest, but according to legal analysts, the act of defying the court’s orders to surrender his passports could be enough reason for a warrant to be issued.
Right-wingers in exile
In leaving Brazil for the US, Bolsonaro joins a large community of Brazilian conservatives in exile — including his own brother Eduardo, former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem and podcaster Paulo Figueiredo.
Eduardo suggested shortly before the runoff election that Flávio ought to leave Brazil if his bid for the presidency failed. On Tuesday, Eduardo called rumors that his brother had fled a “lie.”
Flávio’s journey mirrors his father’s actions after losing the 2022 presidential election. Shortly after his loss, Jair Bolsonaro decamped for Orlando, Florida, where he remained for three months. During that time, hundreds of his supporters stormed the seats of power in the capital Brasília, vandalizing the supreme court, congress and the presidential palace in an attack reminiscent of the insurrection on the US Capitol in 2021.
Bolsonaro and his allies’ efforts to overturn the 2022 election results led to the former president being sentenced to 27 years in prison. Trump, a prominent supporter of the Bolsonaro family, briefly imposed tariffs on Brazil in response to the criminal case against Jair. Trump claimed without evidence earlier this week that Lula’s victory was “rigged.”
Bolsonaro’s leaving Brazil comes directly after his surprise loss to Lula over the weekend. The conservative politician was a strong favorite to win, but Lula managed to outmaneuver Bolsonaro Sunday, earning 4.4 million more votes in the second round.
Lula told a crowd of supporters Tuesday that Bolsonaro’s flight from Brazil was “shameful” and that his opponent could have stayed in the country to fight his accusers in court.
“Regrettably, that is the Bolsonaro family for you. Brazil is their second homeland; their first homeland is the United States,” he said.
Bolsonaro initially refused to concede to Lula, saying his team would ask for the results to be annulled.
Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party reversed course days later. “We recognize the presidential election results,” party head Valdemar Costa Neto said, according to CNN Brasil. “But we believe the issues raised need to be properly clarified.”
The departure of the defeated presidential candidate appeared to catch his party off guard, his campaign manager suggested.
“We’re surprised because yesterday we talked about the need for Flávio — given the roughly 60 million votes he received — to take on this leadership role for the opposition,” Rogerio Marinho told reporters.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Mauricio Torres and Anabella Gonzalez contributed reporting.
