Rubio Denies U.S. Helped Bolsonaro Exit Brazil

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Saturday that the Trump administration did not facilitate the departure of Flávio Bolsonaro from Brazil. The defeated presidential candidate arrived in Miami on Wednesday. This move occurred after he lost a close election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The result broke a recent trend of conservative electoral victories in Latin America.

The State Department announced on Tuesday that visas would be granted to Bolsonaro and his family. These documents followed his defeat in the weekend vote. Rubio addressed reporters in Atlanta, where senior diplomats from the G20 economic bloc were gathered. He said, “We did not facilitate anything.” He explained that the U.S. government was notified of Bolsonaro's arrival and noted that the candidate previously held a visa.

Rubio added that President Trump made the decision to allow Bolsonaro entry into the country. The Secretary of State emphasized that the U.S. government was not directly involved in the specific measures taken for the move. He also reported seeing Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday. Rubio expects to meet Brazilian officials again in France in November during a gathering of foreign ministers.

Flávio Bolsonaro refused to acknowledge his electoral loss. He called the vote fraudulent without providing supporting evidence. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, similarly refused to accept defeat against Lula in 2022. Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence for attempted coup d'état.

The 45-year-old Bolsonaro faces investigations in Brazil for corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Police ordered him to surrender his passport after deeming him a flight risk. He had the tacit support of President Donald Trump during the campaign. Bolsonaro will lose his seat as a Rio de Janeiro senator when the new Brazilian legislature begins on February 1.

On Friday, Bolsonaro reiterated claims of political persecution during a live Instagram broadcast. On Wednesday, he published a letter declaring himself the true elected president of Brazil. He later softened this title to leader. In the letter, he compared himself to Charles de Gaulle, who led the French resistance against the Nazi occupation from London during World War II.