Brazil's Flávio Bolsonaro Flees to US After Election Loss, Defying Court Order.

B razilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in the United States after fleeing his home country following his defeat in Sunday's presidential election, defying a Supreme Court order that required him to surrender his passports.

The right wing candidate landed at Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami on Wednesday, accompanied by his wife and two daughters. Television footage showed the family stepping off a private plane before leaving the airport under umbrellas, apparently attempting to shield themselves from cameras. His aircraft had traveled from Argentina with a stopover in Ecuador, following days of speculation about his whereabouts.

A Brazilian source close to Bolsonaro said the politician feared arrest in Brazil. He is currently under investigation by the country's highest court for alleged corruption and money laundering. One allegation involves potential illegal online betting platforms, while another concerns the production of a biopic about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, which federal police believe involved funds from Banco Master, a collapsed bank at the center of a $7 billion Ponzi-like scheme in 2025. Bolsonaro denies all wrongdoing.

President Donald Trump reportedly approved Bolsonaro's entry into the United States following his election loss. A Trump adviser said administration officials were aware on Monday that Bolsonaro had roughly 24 hours to surrender his passport and made clear he would be allowed into the US. The US is issuing visas to Bolsonaro and his family.

Speaking to reporters, Trump indicated he supported the move: "Well, I would approve. I think they're fine people. The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible." It remains unclear whether the two spoke directly by phone before Bolsonaro's departure.

Brazil's Federal Police canceled Bolsonaro's passports after he failed to surrender them. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had ordered him to turn in his travel documents within 24 hours on Monday. At the time of his departure, there were no warrants for his arrest, but legal analysts say defying the court's orders could be enough reason for a warrant to be issued.

The senator had denied any intention to flee in a video posted to Instagram on Monday. His departure appeared to catch his party off guard. Campaign manager Rogerio Marinho told reporters: "We're surprised because yesterday we talked about the need for Flávio — given the roughly 60 million votes he received — to take on this leadership role for the opposition."

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro by 4.4 million votes in the runoff, criticized his opponent's flight as "shameful," saying Bolsonaro could have stayed to fight his accusers in court. "Regrettably, that is the Bolsonaro family for you. Brazil is their second homeland; their first homeland is the United States," Lula said.

Bolsonaro joins a growing community of Brazilian conservatives in exile, including his brother Eduardo, former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem and podcaster Paulo Figueiredo. His journey mirrors that of his father, who decamped to Florida after losing the 2022 election and was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for efforts to overturn those results.