Flávio Bolsonaro, the far-right politician, saw his political aspirations crumble after losing the presidential election to his leftwing opponent, the incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by a margin of 4.4 million votes. Rather than accepting the loss, he fled to Miami late Tuesday night, just 48 hours after the results were confirmed. Instead, the far-right politician’s decision to flee to the US after losing the election and – for 58 minutes – to declare himself “Brazil’s true president-elect”, has made him a laughing stock, with Brazilian newspapers and commentators raining a barrage of scornful adjectives down on the conquered candidate. History called them something else,” Bolsonaro said, also likening himself to Venezuela’s Nobel laureate María Corina Machado and Rui Barbosa, a Brazilian politician who went into exile in London in the late 19th century after challenging an authoritarian president known as “the Iron Marshal”. Bolsonaro’s flight – and his brief but bogus claim to be “president-elect” of one of the world’s largest democracies – prompted an outpouring of opprobrium and ridicule. José Casado, a columnist for the conservative magazine Veja, wrote: “The comedy storyline has already guaranteed him a spot in the pages of political satire.”.
Upon arriving in the US, Bolsonaro published a bizarre letter on social media. Allegedly drafted with the assistance of ChatGPT, the document contained a false claim, declaring himself the true president-elect of Brazil while pushing unfounded allegations of electoral fraud. The document notably featured an incorrect coat of arms, adding to the criticism.
For exactly 58 minutes, the claim stood before a corrected version was issued. Reports suggest the revision, which changed his title to simply leader of Brazil, followed pressure from Trump administration officials eager to avoid a diplomatic rupture with Brazil’s recognized government. During his initial statement, Bolsonaro bizarrely compared his situation to historical figures like Charles de Gaulle and the Cuban independence hero José Martí, suggesting he would lead an opposition from exile. He claimed he would continue to lead Brazil’s opposition from abroad, comparing himself to Charles de Gaulle, who in the 1940s led a French government-in-exile against the Nazis from London, and the 19th-century Cuban independence hero José Martí, who challenged the Spanish empire from New York, perhaps most bizarrely.
The reaction from Brazilian media was swift and biting. The conservative newspaper Estado de São Paulo described the episode as foolishness that ultimately liberated the democratic right from a coup-minded family. Other commentators were equally harsh, with prominent analyst Flávia Oliveira labeling the letter the work of a loony halfwit. Meanwhile, the broadsheet O Globo characterized his departure as a shameful and sneaky act that exposed the pathetic nature of the Bolsonarismo movement. “If it served any purpose at all, Flávio’s foolishness liberated the democratic right from a family of coup-mongers, which for far too long held it hostage to their reckless folly and irremediable disdain for Brazil,” the conservative Estado de São Paulo newspaper thundered on Friday. “They were all treated as criminals by the regimes they confronted. But there’s no way the embarrassment can be ignored,” before savaging a man they called “a con artist of the highest order”, the Estado de São Paulo’s leader writers said: “Flávio’s letter isn’t worth the ink of this newspaper.
Televangelist Silas Malafaia, previously aligned with the family, joined the chorus of criticism by calling Bolsonaro’s children amateur morons. Within the political sphere, Lula’s chief foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, declared the movement defeated, calling the election outcome the final gasp of an irrational, radical right wing. The editorial board at Estado de São Paulo predicted that Flávio would soon fade into political irrelevance, encouraging conservatives to support São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas instead. A pugnacious televangelist who is close to Bolsonaro’s jailed father, Jair Bolsonaro, had harsh words. “Bolsonaro’s kids are jackasses … A bunch of amateur morons,” Malafaia was quoted as saying by O, even Silas Malafaia.
Public mockery mirrored the media sentiment. Social media users circulated memes, including one inviting supporters to his inauguration at Walt Disney World’s Cinderella Castle. Others parodied his movement’s nationalist slogan, transforming God, homeland and family into Goodbye, homeland and family.
International recognition of Lula’s victory has been widespread, coming from various rightwing leaders including Giorgia Meloni and Nayib Bukele.
In the United States, President Donald Trump has refused to formally acknowledge the results, dismissing the election as a great embarrassment.
However, a diplomatic cable leaked to the Folha de São Paulo confirmed that the US government views Lula’s win as definitive.
When recently asked if he viewed Bolsonaro as the rightful leader of Brazil, President Trump stated that he would not get involved.
