Politics
Flávio Bolsonaro retracts 58-minute 'president-elect' claim after fleeing to Miami
October 30, 2026 at 03:30 PM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 22 hours
Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has withdrawn his 'true president-elect' declaration issued hours after fleeing to Miami.
- Bolsonaro flew to Miami this week after losing Sunday's election to President Lula by 4.4 million votes with his passport canceled amid a criminal probe.
- He posted a letter declaring himself the 'true president-elect' and alleging electoral fraud, retracting it within 58 minutes after reportedly being upbraided by Trump administration officials.
- Bolsonaro denied fleeing, saying "I didn't flee Brazil, I left for Brazil," and described himself as a victim of political coup and persecution.
- Trump declined to publicly recognize the result, calling it "a very great embarrassment to the people of Brazil," and said "I won't get involved."