From U.S., Bolsonaro declares himself rightful leader of Brazil after election loss

Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro steps off a plane after arriving at Opa Locka Executive Airport in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday. | AFP-JIJI

REUTERS

Oct 29, 2026

SAO PAULO – Brazilian Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, who arrived in the United States on Wednesday, has declared himself the rightful leader of Brazil, alleging an electoral coup d’etat had been carried out by the country’s Supreme Court and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who won the presidential election by over 4 million votes.

Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday’s election and left Brazil for Miami, where he and his family received U.S. visas, thanked Argentine leader Javier Milei and U.S. President Donald Trump for helping him leave his country and for welcoming him.

In an initial open letter posted on social media platform X, Bolsonaro declared himself “the elected president.” He then deleted that version, and updated with another letter in which he said he was the rightful “leader” of Brazil.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.