In brief
Donald Trump told reporters that the former Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro can stay in the United States for as long as he wishes, calling the Brazilian election a disgrace. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration did not facilitate Bolsonaro’s flight, noting Bolsonaro used a pre‑existing visa. Bolsonaro arrived in Miami after losing the election and is under investigation for alleged corruption.
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, who arrived in the United States the week before, can stay in the country indefinitely, adding he had no plans to meet him.
Trump said at his Mar‑a‑Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, “No plans to meet, but I think he got treated very shabbily. He can stay here as long as he wants … The election was a disgrace.”
“No plans to meet, but I think he got treated very shabbily. He can stay here as long as he wants … The election was a disgrace.”
Bolsonaro, who lost the runoff on October 25, entered the U.S. with his family on a private plane that departed from Argentina and stopped in Ecuador before arriving in Miami.
Contrasting Trump’s remarks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Atlanta that the administration did not help Bolsonaro flee Brazil. “We didn’t facilitate anything,” Rubio said. “He had previously held a visa, and the president made a decision to allow him to enter the country.”
“We didn’t facilitate anything. He had previously held a visa, and the president made a decision to allow him to enter the country.”
Bolsonaro is under investigation in Brazil for alleged corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion, and had been ordered to surrender his passport before leaving. The U.S. allowed him to enter under humanitarian parole, a status that typically lasts for one year, according to Reuters. He has refused to concede the election and labels himself the true leader of Brazil, saying he left due to persecution.
