Flávio Bolsonaro has denied fleeing Brazil after losing the presidential election as he thanked Donald Trump after landing in the U.S. Wednesday.
asserted
he → deny → U.S.
Bolsonaro declared himself Brazil's rightful leader upon landing in Miami, Florida, and alleged that he was a victim of an electoral coup.
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he → declare → coup
His departure followed 48 hours during which the 45-year-old senator refused to concede the election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and threatened to seek an annulment of the election result.
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senator → follow → result
"I did not flee Brazil, I left for the sake of Brazil," he said in his first statement since departure.
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he → flee → departure
He added: "I left a regime of exception so that I could be the leader my people deserve."
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people → add → exception
"Silenced, imprisoned and censored like my father, I would not be able to provide that leadership, and we would be handed over to the institutional theatre of an opposition that is shackled and controlled by a Supreme Court filled with servants of the regime," Bolsonaro said.
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Bolsonaro → silence → regime
He thanked President Trump and the "good people of America for welcoming" him.
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He → thank → him
His father, Jair Bolsonaro, also fled to Florida after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula before returning to Brazil three months later.
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father → flee → Brazil
The U.S. announced Monday it would grant visas to the longtime Trump ally and his family.
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it → announce → ally
In the initial letter addressing the people of Brazil, Bolsonaro declared himself "the elected president".
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himself → address → Brazil
He then deleted that version and updated it with another letter in which he said he was the rightful "leader" of Brazil.
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he → delete → Brazil
Bolsonaro has repeatedly refused to concede even as Lula's victory has been recognized by Brazil's federal electoral court, global leaders, international observers, and Bolsonaro's own party.
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victory → refuse → court
Argentina's migration authority said Wednesday that Bolsonaro fled from Brazil through Argentina and Ecuador alongside his wife and two daughters.
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Bolsonaro → say → wife
He is under investigation by Brazil’s Supreme Court over alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in two cases.
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He → allege → cases
The court ordered him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports by noon Tuesday, but it remains unclear if he complied, though allies stated he holds an Italian passport.
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he → order → passport
Bolsonaro claimed, "there is no arrest warrant against me because I have committed no crime".
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I → claim → crime
"What exists is a politically motivated witch hunt against me," he added.
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he → exist → me
Brazil's election took place in full compliance with legal and constitutional requirements, electoral authority chief Kassio Nunes Marques said in a statement, without referencing Bolsonaro's letter.
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Marques → take → letter
Asked by reporters at Joint Base Andrews about Bolsonaro's comments, Trump declined to comment, reiterating earlier views that it was "a very strange election".
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it → ask → views
He said he thought Bolsonaro "and his family were treated very unfairly".
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Bolsonaro → say → ?
Bolsonaro's declaration poses a problem for Washington as it seeks to navigate a rift with Latin America's largest country, home to the world's second-largest reserves of rare earths.
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it → pose → earths
Lula has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaro family to help return them to power.
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Lula → accuse → power
Washington denies meddling in Brazil's domestic affairs.
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Washington → deny → affairs
Trump has previously alleged Flavio's father, Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution.
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father → allege → persecution
Lula, who turned 81 Tuesday, addressed supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasilia before the arrival, stating he lacked detailed information on Bolsonaro’s whereabouts but confirmed he had left Brazil.
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he → turn → Brazil
"I regret that he left Brazil, because he could have stayed here and proven that the accusations are not true," Lula said.
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Lula → regret → Brazil
"This act of leaving Brazil is shameful."
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act → leave → Brazil
The Aporia
