Trump says Flávio Bolsonaro can stay in US indefinitely
Trump tells reporters the defeated Brazilian candidate may remain in the US as long as he wants, complicating a tentative thaw in relations with Brasília.
Palm Beach, Florida — President Donald Trump said on Saturday evening that defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro can remain in the United States indefinitely, The Hindu reported. The remarks, delivered to reporters at a Halloween party at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, suggest ties between the Western Hemisphere's two largest democracies could stay strained.
"He can stay here as long as he wants," Mr Trump said of Mr Bolsonaro, who left Brazil after losing the election to leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva despite leading in most opinion polls. Mr Trump added that, in his view, the election was a disgrace; outside observers described it as free and fair.
Mr Bolsonaro's departure followed a Brazilian Supreme Court justice's decision to revoke his passport shortly after his defeat. He faces two federal money-laundering probes, and Brazilian police considered him a flight risk. He entered the US under humanitarian parole, Reuters has reported — a status that typically lasts one year. The Brazilian embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.
The comments cut against a tentative thaw. Hours earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had met Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta and expected to see him again in France at next month's G7 summit, which Brazil is set to attend as an observer. Mr Rubio also insisted Washington "was not involved directly in any of the moves" behind Mr Bolsonaro's exit — though Reuters and other outlets have reported that White House official Jason Miller helped arrange the journey.
The political stakes run deep on both sides. Mr Bolsonaro's father, far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, is imprisoned in Brazil for plotting a coup after losing his 2022 re-election bid, while Mr Lula himself spent 17 months in jail in 2018 and 2019 on corruption charges that were later annulled. Mr Bolsonaro has described himself as Brazil's rightful leader, but a US official and a person familiar with the matter told Reuters Mr Trump has no current plans to back his ambitions; Mr Trump said on Saturday he has no plans to meet him.
Next test: the G7 foreign ministers' summit in France next month, where Mr Rubio and Mr Vieira are due to meet again — and the one-year humanitarian parole clock now ticking against Mr Trump's open-ended welcome.
Sources
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