Flávio Bolsonaro, the candidate who lost Brazil’s presidential election, announced plans to pursue the presidency again before the next scheduled vote in 2030. During an Instagram livestream on Friday, he maintained that his political agenda remains the country’s best option, even after falling short in the runoff against incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than four million votes.
He arrived in Miami earlier this week after Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled he must surrender his passports. Bolsonaro restated disputed claims of election irregularities, citing the nearly 60 million votes he secured in the first round as proof of strong public backing. “Those almost 60 million votes which you gave me mean so much to me. It is an honor that few in Brazil can carry, to be voted for by so many and knowing my votes really came from real voters,” he claimed.
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His objections focus on the Supreme Court’s decision to extend voting hours—a measure both campaigns had requested. Despite the court order, he left Brazil for the U.S., where he intends to lead opposition efforts against Lula’s administration from abroad. Bolsonaro has drawn comparisons to Charles de Gaulle, framing his situation as analogous to the French leader’s resistance against Nazi occupation during World War II.
His move to the U.S. reflects longstanding ties between the Bolsonaro family and former President Donald Trump, who approved Flávio’s visa shortly after the election. Meanwhile, Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father, remains under house arrest following his 2022 conviction for conspiring in a military coup attempt against Lula.