Flavio Bolsonaro recounts leaving Brazil after election defeat and reveals conversation with his father

Flavio Bolsonaro says he left Brazil to avoid political persecution after losing the presidential election.

In a video shared on Instagram, the conservative senator spoke about meeting his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest. He also said that police had informed him that he was required to surrender his passports under a decision linked to a money-laundering investigation.

The 45-year-old politician, who lost last Sunday’s presidential election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, headed to the United States with his wife and their two daughters. His journey took him through Argentina and Ecuador.

His party has accepted the election result, but Flavio Bolsonaro continues to dispute the loss and claim that the votes were manipulated. He has also suggested that he could run for president again before 2030.

“The persecution began earlier than I expected”

In the video published on Friday evening, the senator described what prompted him to leave the country, just two days after losing the election.

“The persecution began much earlier than I imagined,” he said, referring to Monday, when he went to meet his father, Jair Bolsonaro.

The former Brazilian president is serving a 27-year prison sentence in connection with an attempted coup following his defeat in the 2022 election. He is currently under house arrest.

Flavio Bolsonaro said that after the visit ended, police officers informed him of a court decision requiring him to surrender his passports and prohibiting him from leaving Brazil.

The order had been issued as part of the money-laundering investigation. The senator denies having committed any illegal act.

He portrayed the decision as part of a broader political campaign against him and noted that its timing was linked to the announcement of the election result.

Conversation with his father

Flavio Bolsonaro devoted part of his account to his exchange with his father as police were informing him of the court order.

According to the senator, Jair Bolsonaro was emotional and, with tears in his eyes, asked him to speak out of earshot of the officers.

“You know where they are trying to go with this, right?” the former president is said to have asked him.

Flavio Bolsonaro said he replied: “Dad, I know. I think God has everything under control. I am prepared; I will face this. Now I know what I have to do.”

After the meeting, he returned home and discussed the situation and the possibility of leaving Brazil with his wife. He said they made the decision together and did not inform anyone else. The senator thanked his wife for her support.

He did not explain how he crossed the border, although he had been prohibited from leaving the country.

The journey to Miami

Flavio Bolsonaro left Brazil on Tuesday, October 27, several hours after the deadline for surrendering his passports had expired.

According to reports, he first entered Argentina by land, in the area between Foz do Iguaçu and Puerto Iguazú.

From there, he traveled by private plane to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and then continued on to Florida.

On Wednesday morning, October 28, the senator arrived at Opa-locka Airport, near Miami, with his wife and two daughters.

U.S. authorities had announced that they would issue Bolsonaro and his family entry visas. U.S. President Donald Trump had also expressed his willingness to allow them to enter the country.

The journey took place despite Brazil’s Supreme Court having ordered the surrender of the passports. The decision had been issued by Judge Alexandre de Moraes.

Brazilian authorities and diplomatic services had canceled the relevant travel documents. Flavio Bolsonaro also holds Italian citizenship.

Election allegations and a possible candidacy

Flavio Bolsonaro said that leaving did not mean he was abandoning Brazil, but that he intended to continue his political activities from abroad.

“I left for the good of Brazil,” he declared, arguing that abroad he could express his political beliefs more freely.

He repeated that he did not recognize Lula’s victory, even though the Liberal Party (PL), of which he is a member, has accepted the result.

The senator claimed that there had been irregularities during the election, but presented no evidence for his allegations that the votes had been manipulated.

To explain his claims, he referred to football, calling the alleged irregularities “goals scored with the hand that were not disallowed by VAR.”

Brazilian electoral and judicial authorities have dismissed his claims. Lula won the second round with around 51.8% of the vote.

The senator again attacked the re-elected president, saying that his economic policies would lead Brazil to “bankruptcy.” Meanwhile, he left open the possibility of another presidential bid.

“I am not talking about 2030, but earlier,” Flavio Bolsonaro said, without explaining how a presidential election could be held before the end of Lula’s four-year term.

His departure has prompted strong political reactions in Brazil. President Lula described the move as “shameful.”

The incident has also taken on a diplomatic dimension: the defeated candidate’s passage through Argentina and his reception in the United States have strained the Lula government’s relations with both countries.