The far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro has reportedly fled Brazil and is currently en route to the United States following his defeat in Sunday’s presidential election to the leftwing incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. A report by the news website Metrópoles, citing people close to the politician’s family, stated that the senator’s plane is in flight, though the specific point of departure remains unclear. Allies of the senator informed Metrópoles that he is expected to land in Florida on Tuesday afternoon with the intention of requesting political asylum. The website further noted that the Donald Trump administration has been informed of these plans.
Allies also confirmed to the newspaper Folha de S Paulo that the senator was on his way to the US, noting that the escape plan was organized and enabled by a lawyer close to the Bolsonaro clan. The newspaper added that the flight was expected to land in a few hours. Meanwhile, the news network CNN Brasil reported that Bolsonaro fled the country in the early hours of this morning alongside his wife and two daughters. A US state department spokesperson confirmed that Bolsonaro and his family would be granted visas to allow them entry into the United States.
President Lula condemned what he described as the “shameful” decision to flee. Speaking at an event in Brasília celebrating his 81st birthday, Lula remarked, “This is what the family Bolsonaro are like. Brazil is their second homeland. Their first homeland is licking the boots of the US, as he’s become accustomed to doing.” He added, “I keep imagining what’s on the conscience of a citizen who just lost the elections and flees his country… He who owes nothing, fears nothing. A citizen who sneaks out of his country owes something.” Lawmakers from Lula’s Workers’ party (PT) have since asked the supreme court to order Bolsonaro’s arrest and requested that his name be placed on Interpol’s Red Notice list.
Bolsonaro had not been seen since Monday and failed to meet a Tuesday-morning deadline to surrender his passport to the federal police, fueling rumors of his departure. The senator is currently under investigation in a criminal case involving a money-laundering scheme worth approximately £680m ($905m) linked to betting companies. Reports in the newspaper O Globo indicated that during a meeting with friends and lawyers on Monday, the defeated candidate appeared “possessed” and made it clear he was afraid of being arrested. Notably, Bolsonaro has held Italian citizenship since 2023 and reportedly possesses a passport from that European country.
The circumstances of his exit remain complex. The Argentinian news website Infobae reported that he had fled to Argentina on Monday night, intending to board a private jet in Puerto Iguazú bound for the US, but the aircraft did not take off. The Argentinian channel Todo Noticias reported that the senator crossed the border into Argentina on foot and abandoned the flight plans once news of his movements leaked. As there is no record of him passing through any regular Brazilian immigration checkpoint, federal police are working with Argentinian authorities to verify his entry into that country. Despite these reports, Bolsonaro posted a video on Monday commenting on the cancellation of his passport, stating, “I never thought about leaving the country.”
The senator’s departure leaves the future of the far-right movement in Brazil increasingly uncertain. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is currently under house arrest for attempting a coup, while his brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, is already in self-imposed exile in the US. Eduardo faces an outstanding arrest warrant in Brazil for attempting to interfere in his father’s trial by lobbying Donald Trump to impose sanctions on the presiding justices. Political scientist Magna Inácio, a professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, believes a power vacuum may now emerge within the right, noting that the resistance of voters to the extremist camp suggests the right-wing leadership is now up for grabs.
Camila Rocha, a political scientist who studies Brazil’s new right, suggests this could trigger a shift in power away from the Bolsonaro family’s blood ties. She noted that polls prior to the election showed supporters preferred other candidates, such as Michelle Bolsonaro—who was recently elected senator—and São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas. Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly did not want to run because he believed a presidential campaign would turn his life into “hell” and felt his re-election to the senate was assured. However, with Eduardo, his father’s “plan A,” already in the US, Flávio was chosen to run. Most observers agree that Flávio lacks his father’s charisma. He had a 24-year political career with few legislative achievements, and the only previous time he ran for executive office was for mayor of Rio de Janeiro in 2016, when he fainted during a televised debate and finished fourth.
Despite these challenges, 48.21% of Brazilians voted for Flávio Bolsonaro on Sunday. Speaking in Brasília, his campaign chief, Senator Rogério Marinho, expressed surprise at the reports of his departure, stating, “Because yesterday we talked about the need for Flávio, with the 60 million votes he received, to take on this role as leader of the opposition.” When asked if he could lead from abroad, Marinho cited the example of María Corina Machado in Venezuela. Flávio Bolsonaro has long faced criminal allegations, including suspicions of embezzling staff salaries, yet he remains a central figure in the family’s political legacy. Inácio believes the struggle for this legacy will continue among those remaining in Brazil, including Michelle Bolsonaro and the senator-elect Carlos Bolsonaro and congressman-elect Jair Renan Bolsonaro, who have historically had strained relations with their stepmother.
