Bolsonaro Names Self Leader After Miami Arrival

Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro declared himself the leader of Brazil in an open letter posted to X on Wednesday. He made the claim shortly after landing at Opa Locka Executive Airport north of Miami with his family.

The declaration follows a rapid exit from Brazil that began Monday. Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the seizure of Bolsonaro's passports less than 24 hours after Lula da Silva won the presidential runoff. Bolsonaro stated he was ordered to hand over the documents while on the street. He noted that he was also prohibited from leaving the country.

Bolsonaro described the situation as a tyranny established by a criminal organization in his letter. He addressed his 60 million voters and the wider Brazilian population. Earlier on X, he had used the phrase elected president in a post that was later deleted. He replaced it with the term leader in the updated letter.

The family crossed into Argentina on Tuesday night. Argentina's National Directorate of Migrations confirmed they entered with valid documents and no legal impediments. They then moved into Ecuador. From there, they boarded a private plane to Florida. Bolsonaro said he left to protect his family and avoid a witch hunt. He denied fleeing, stating he did not abandon the Brazilian people.

President Donald Trump granted Bolsonaro and his family visas. When asked about the approval, Trump called them fine people. He characterized the election as strange and terrible. He also remarked that it looked like another rigged election. The U.S. Vice President JD Vance's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the campaign funding investigation.

Brazil's markets reacted sharply to the election results and the subsequent legal moves. The Ibovespa index closed down nearly 14 percent on Monday. The Brazilian real lost nearly 11 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar. That marked one of the steepest drops in history for the currency. Brazilian Federal Police requested the passport seizure order just seven minutes after the Superior Electoral Court confirmed Lula's victory.

Bolsonaro lost the runoff by a 3.58 percent margin. He has faced multiple criminal investigations for money laundering, corruption, and tax evasion. Lula called Bolsonaro's departure a shameful act. Lula cited his own 2018 arrest for corruption as a parallel. Bolsonaro attributed the order to a social media post by his brother Eduardo. Eduardo had suggested Flávio should leave the country if he lost the election.