Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in the United States after fleeing his home country following a shock defeat in Brazil’s presidential election, with the Trump administration clearing the way for him and his family to enter the country.
Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters touched down Wednesday at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport aboard a Gulfstream jet, according to Reuters. A senior State Department official said the administration will issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them entry into the U.S.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he approves of Bolsonaro coming to the United States. A Trump adviser told CNN that administration officials knew Monday that Bolsonaro had roughly 24 hours to surrender his passport to Brazilian authorities and made clear to him that he would be welcome in the U.S.
The eldest son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had been widely expected to win Sunday’s runoff, but he lost to leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than 4.4 million votes.
Bolsonaro initially refused to acknowledge the outcome and said he would seek to have the results annulled. His conservative Liberal Party later issued a statement Monday saying it accepted the results.
Trump has cast doubt on the vote, telling reporters it “looked like another rigged election.” He did not offer evidence to support the claim.
Bolsonaro left Brazil after refusing to comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court order to surrender his passports as part of a money laundering investigation.
That probe, opened in July by Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça, stems from a sprawling scandal surrounding the collapsed lender Banco Master and its former owner, Daniel Vorcaro. Federal police are examining whether Bolsonaro committed money laundering, illegal foreign exchange and corruption in connection with money Vorcaro allegedly provided to help finance “Dark Horse,” a film about Bolsonaro’s father.
According to court documents cited by The Associated Press, prosecutors suspect some of the funds were used to cover expenses for Bolsonaro’s brother Eduardo, who lives in Texas, and to promote Flávio Bolsonaro’s political agenda with the Trump administration.
Both brothers have denied any wrongdoing. Eduardo Bolsonaro has argued that investigators are trying to repeat the playbook used against their father, whom Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced in September 2025 to 27 years and three months in prison over an alleged coup attempt. Trump has repeatedly blasted the case against the elder Bolsonaro as a witch hunt.
The Bolsonaro family has long maintained close ties with Trump and his allies. Ahead of Sunday’s vote, Reuters reported on a State Department effort aimed at returning the Bolsonaros to power.
Democrats are already pushing back. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, argued that losing an election is not grounds for asylum and demanded that the Trump administration explain to Congress what role it played in helping Bolsonaro leave Brazil.
Politico noted that a future Democratic administration could revoke Bolsonaro’s visa and deport him to Brazil if it determined the protections were improperly granted.
It is not the first time a Bolsonaro has sought refuge in Florida after an election defeat. Jair Bolsonaro spent roughly three months in the Orlando area after losing to Lula in 2022, before returning to Brazil in March 2023.
