U.S. to Grant Visas to Bolsonaro After 4.2 Million Vote Defeat

The United States will issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, a senior U.S. administration official said Tuesday. The announcement came after Bolsonaro lost Sunday's presidential race to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than four million votes. Lula took just over 51% of valid votes, about 64.2 million, against nearly 59.8 million for Bolsonaro. Reports from Brazilian media on Tuesday said Bolsonaro had left for the United States. His campaign manager, his lawyer and political allies said earlier they did not know where he was, and his current location has not been independently confirmed.

Bolsonaro's Liberal Party has recognized Lula's victory. Bolsonaro himself has not conceded. He faces several investigations in Brazil, including allegations of money laundering and tax evasion, which he denies. On Monday, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered him to hand over his passports within 24 hours and barred him from leaving the country. In a video released that day, Bolsonaro said federal police stopped him outside the home of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, and told him to surrender his travel documents. "I never thought about leaving the country," Flávio Bolsonaro said. "I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this aberration." He called the order an attempt to intimidate him.

The order followed comments from Bolsonaro's brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in Florida in self-imposed exile, suggesting Flávio should leave Brazil if he lost. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest after a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup following his own 2022 loss to Lula. President Donald Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on Lula's victory, saying Monday that the election was "rigged" without offering evidence. At a Texas rally Tuesday night, Trump returned to the subject. "Brazil is also doing a good job of it, aren't they? Did you see that? I didn't take sides, but it didn't look very good," he said.

Lula spoke about Bolsonaro's reported departure during his 81st birthday celebrations in Brasília on Tuesday. "Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear," Lula told supporters. He said Bolsonaro could have stayed and proven the accusations against him are not true, and added that he regretted Bolsonaro's departure. Lula also referenced the Bolsonaro family's ties to the Trump administration: "Brazil is their second home; their first home is the United States."

Bolsonaro's Liberal Party recognized Lula's win after Sunday's vote. Bolsonaro has not conceded. A senior U.S. administration official said Tuesday the State Department would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the country.