US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has explicitly denied that the Trump administration played any role in facilitating the departure of defeated Brazilian politician Flavio Bolsonaro to the United States. Following his election loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the senator traveled to Miami, an arrival that Rubio confirmed was not assisted by the US government.
Speaking to reporters in Atlanta on Saturday while attending a gathering of top diplomats from the G20, Rubio clarified the circumstances of the arrival. He stated that the government was aware of his entry, noting that Flavio Bolsonaro already held a valid visa. According to Rubio, the president made the decision to allow him to enter the country, but the US government was not directly involved in any of the specific arrangements made for his departure from Brazil. He emphasized, "We didn't facilitate anything."
Flavio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday. This occurred just one day after the State Department confirmed that he and his family would be granted US visas following a contentious race that diverged from the broader trend of conservative electoral outcomes in Latin America. The 45-year-old senator, who represents Rio de Janeiro and is set to lose his seat when the new Brazilian legislature takes office on February 1, has maintained that he is a victim of persecution. He reiterated this claim on a Friday Instagram livestream and previously declared himself the "true president-elect of Brazil" in a letter, a term he later adjusted to "leader."
The senator faces ongoing investigations in Brazil regarding corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Authorities had previously ordered him to surrender his passport due to concerns that he posed a flight risk. His father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, has also refused to acknowledge his own 2022 election defeat to Lula and is currently serving a 27-year sentence related to a coup attempt. During the Atlanta meetings, Rubio noted he had met with Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira on both Friday and Saturday, and expects to see Brazilian officials again at a foreign ministers' meeting in France this November.
