Trump says Flavio Bolsonaro can stay in US 'as long as he wants'

US President Donald Trump told reporters in Florida on Saturday, 31 October 2026, that Flavio Bolsonaro can stay in the United States as long as he wants.

Bolsonaro lost Brazil's presidential election to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He then left Brazil for the United States.

Bolsonaro is under investigation in Brazil, including for alleged money laundering. Al Jazeera also lists alleged corruption and tax evasion. The Hindu describes two federal money-laundering probes. Before he left, Bolsonaro had been ordered to give up his passport. Brazilian police considered him a flight risk. According to The Hindu, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered the passport revoked shortly after the election loss.

Since arriving in the US, Bolsonaro has described himself as Brazil's rightful leader.

According to Al Jazeera, the run-off took place on 25 October. Bolsonaro travelled via Argentina and Ecuador and arrived in Miami on Wednesday. Al Jazeera reports that the day before, the US State Department said he and his family would be granted visas.

The Hindu reports that Trump spoke during a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago club and said he has no plans to meet Bolsonaro. A US official and a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that Trump has no current plans to support Bolsonaro's political ambitions, according to The Hindu.

Rubio said he met or spoke with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira in Atlanta, where G20 foreign ministers were gathered. He said he expected to see Brazilian officials again in France next month. According to The Hindu, Rubio said Brazil is expected to attend the G7 foreign ministers' meeting there as an observer.

What is disputed

Rubio said the government was not "involved directly in any of the moves that were made", Al Jazeera reported. Al Jazeera quoted him as saying: "We didn't facilitate anything." Reuters and other US media have reported that White House official Jason Miller helped arrange Bolsonaro's journey; Al Jazeera says some US outlets reported the journey was partly arranged with his help. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi describe Miller's alleged role only in these general terms, without further detail, and do not include a response from him or the White House.

On his entry, Rubio said Bolsonaro "had previously held a visa" and that the president decided to allow him in. Reuters has reported that he was admitted under humanitarian parole, a status that typically lasts one year, according to Al Jazeera and The Hindu.

What each side says

• Donald Trump: Al Jazeera quoted him as saying Bolsonaro "got treated very shabbily". The Hindu quoted him as saying: "In my opinion, the election was a disgrace." According to Al Jazeera, he had previously called the election rigged.
• Marco Rubio: The US did not facilitate the departure. The president decided to allow Bolsonaro to enter after he arrived.
• Flavio Bolsonaro: He refuses to concede and calls the results fraudulent. Al Jazeera notes he has not provided evidence. He says he left because he was a victim of "persecution".

According to The Hindu, outside observers described the election as free and fair, and Bolsonaro had led most opinion polls beforehand. The Brazilian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, The Hindu reported. The Hindu also notes that Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is imprisoned for plotting a coup after his 2022 defeat. Lula spent 17 months in jail in 2018 and 2019 on corruption charges that were later annulled.

Analysis

The case places US-Brazil relations under strain at a time when both governments still expect to meet at international forums. Much depends on questions the reports reviewed by Vocemundi leave open: whether Brazil will seek Bolsonaro's return, how he left despite the passport order, and what happens to his status in the US, given that humanitarian parole typically lasts one year. If reporting about White House involvement is substantiated, it could become a diplomatic issue; if not, Rubio's account may stand. Bolsonaro's claims of fraud, made without evidence according to Al Jazeera, may also shape Brazilian domestic politics. Several paths remain possible, and none can yet be called likely.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.