Trump Supports Visa For Bolsonaro After Defeated Candidate Fled Brazil for U.S.

Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has fled to the U.S. to avoid corruption charges in his home country after the Trump administration granted him a visa.

The Associated Press reported that Bolsonaro traveled to Argentina with his wife and two daughters. He then went to Ecuador before heading to Miami.

Brazil’s Supreme Court had demanded that Bolsonaro turn over his passport and remain in the country to face charges that include money laundering and tax evasion. The court issued the order two days after Bolsonaro lost an election bid to leftist candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s presidential election.

“I regret that he left Brazil, because he could have stayed here and proven that the accusations are not true,” Lula said, according to the AP “This act of leaving Brazil is shameful.”

President Trump told CBS News Wednesday that he supported giving Bolsonaro a visa.

“I think they’re fine people,” Trump said of Bolsonaro and his family. “The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible. It’s gotten bad reviews. You look at what happened to their market.”

“I think it’s so terrible to see it. I didn’t take sides, you know. I know them both. I know Lula. I know Flavio a little bit. I know the father very well,” Trump said, according to CBS News.

Trump was referring to Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father. Jair lost to Lula in 2022 and was accused of attempting a coup against Lula. After briefly fleeing Brazil, Jair returned and is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest.

According to CBS News, Trump implied that Jair was the victim of malicious prosecution.

“The father was treated really badly. I thought, but I wasn’t involved,” Trump told the network. “That’s Brazil. It’s a different country.”

Lula was also charged and convicted on corruption charges in 2017, receiving a 12-year sentence. Although Lula served some time, the conviction was eventually thrown out over jurisdiction issues. Lula has maintained that he was innocent, according to the Cato Institute.

In 2005 several Lula advisers and allies were convicted in a $50 million vote buying scandal. Jose Dirceu, Lula’s chief of staff, was sentenced to 10 years on charges related to the scandal, according to France 24.

Lula’s first tenure as president was from 2003 to 2011. Her returned to the presidency after winning in 2023.