The president of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that he would approve the entry of Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family into the country, following their departure from Brazil amid judicial investigations and after losing the presidential elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Asked by journalists whether he would allow their entry, Trump replied: “Well, I would approve it. I think they are good people.”
The president also questioned the elections held on Sunday, October 25, in which Lula won reelection with 51.79% of the votes compared to 48.21% for Bolsonaro.
"The elections were very strange, and I found them terrible. They have received bad reviews. Just look at what happened to their market," Trump stated.
The U.S. president assured that he had not taken sides during the campaign: "I know Lula. I know Flávio a little. I know the father very well."
“The final result is good, but the way they reached that final result was terrible,” he added.
Trump acknowledged that he did not know the exact whereabouts of the senator: “I heard he was in Argentina. I don’t know where he is.”
Trump also defended former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced in 2025 to 27 years and three months in prison for his involvement in an attempted coup.
“The father was treated very poorly, I thought. But I wasn't involved. That's Brazil. It's a different country”, declared the American president.
The departure of Flávio Bolsonaro from Brazil
The statements come after Flávio Bolsonaro left Brazil despite an order from the Supreme Federal Court requiring him to surrender his passports and prohibiting him from leaving the country.
The magistrate Alexandre de Moraes issued the measures on Monday as part of investigations into alleged financial irregularities.
By failing to meet the 24-hour deadline for submitting their documents, the Brazilian authorities proceeded to cancel them.
According to RTVE, the National Directorate of Migrations of Argentina confirmed that Bolsonaro crossed the border on Tuesday at 10:50 PM, accompanied by his wife Fernanda and his daughters Carolina and Luiza, via the Tancredo Neves international bridge in Misiones.
Argentine authorities stated that the four entered with valid travel documentation and without any legal impediments recorded during that check.
About 40 minutes later, at 11:30 PM, the family boarded a private plane from Baires Fly S.A. bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador, according to the flight plan cited by RTVE.
A source close to the family stated to Reuters that the aircraft allegedly landed later in Florida, although the specific location was not specified. The U.S. Administration has not officially confirmed his arrival.
Bolsonaro is being investigated, among other matters, for his alleged financial connections with lawyer Willer Tomaz, who is being investigated for a money laundering scheme related to gambling and cryptocurrencies. The senator denies having committed any irregularities.
United States announces visas for the family
Before Trump's statements, a U.S. State Department official had confirmed to several international agencies that the United States would issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his family to allow them to enter the country.
The decision was announced while Brazilian authorities are investigating the senator, who retains his parliamentary immunity until the end of his term, scheduled for early 2027.
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