Flavio Bolsonaro Was Told Trump Administration Endorsed His Flight From Brazil and Signaled Asylum for Him and His Family, per CNN
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro was told that the Donald Trump administration endorsed his decision to flee Brazil and signaled that the US government would grant political asylum to him and his family, per CNN.
CNN Brasil reported that Bolsonaro had fled to the US with his wife and two daughters in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The report came after Bolsonaro lost Sunday's presidential runoff to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and missed a Supreme Court deadline to surrender his passports.
What CNN and Other Outlets Reported on Asylum
Allies told the Brazilian news website Metropoles that Bolsonaro would land in Florida on Tuesday afternoon and planned to request political asylum.
"The Donald Trump administration has been informed," Metropoles reported, citing allies.
Per Reuters, three sources said Bolsonaro had left Brazil for the United States. One source close to the Bolsonaro family said the Trump administration had granted asylum to Flavio and his immediate family, per Reuters.
No official US confirmation of an asylum grant had emerged in the other reports reviewed. The US Embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment, per Reuters, and Bolsonaro's lawyer also did not respond.
A senior State Department official later said on Tuesday evening that the State Department would issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the United States. That statement addressed visas and entry, not a confirmed asylum decision.
The Passport Order He Defied
Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro on Sunday night, hours after he lost the runoff and refused to concede, to surrender his ordinary and diplomatic passports within 24 hours and barred him from leaving the country.
The order came in a Federal Police investigation into money laundering and illegal capital flight. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing in the money laundering probe, per Reuters reporting on the case.
Bolsonaro had not been seen since Monday and missed the Tuesday deadline to hand his passports to the Federal Police. His passports were cancelled after the deadline lapsed.
In a video posted Monday, Bolsonaro said, "I never thought about leaving the country."
He also said, "I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this farce, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me."
Lawmakers from Lula's Workers' Party asked the Supreme Court to order Bolsonaro's arrest and requested that his name be put on Interpol's Red Notice list.
A Loss He Has Not Conceded
Bolsonaro was favored to win Sunday's presidential election but ended up losing in a shock result to Lula, per Reuters.
He has yet to officially concede defeat. On Sunday he said he would seek the annulment of the result over alleged voter irregularities, while his Liberal Party said on Monday it acknowledged Lula's victory.
Trump made no mention of Flavio Bolsonaro's departure in comments to the press on Monday, but said the Brazilian vote "looked like another rigged election," per Reuters.
Lula's office did not respond to a request for comment, per Reuters. Reuters also reported that Lula has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaros to put them back in power.
Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, also went to the United States after refusing to concede losing to Lula in 2022. He eventually returned to Brazil but was later given a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup.
What It Means for Markets
A public rift between the United States and Brazil over asylum would raise political risk for Brazil-linked assets, even if no policy change has been announced.
The broad Brazil trade is EWZ, which traders use for exposure to Brazilian equities when Brasilia and Washington headlines hit.
State oil producer exposure runs through PBR, which is sensitive to government and energy policy under Lula.
Mining giant VALE and banking name ITUB are the other large, liquid Brazil names that tend to move first on political instability and currency pressure.
The Bottom Line
CNN's asylum report is the sharpest claim in Bolsonaro's flight, and it is not the same as an official asylum grant.
Reuters reported a family-close source saying asylum had been granted, while the on-record US statement so far promised visas and entry. Which status Bolsonaro actually receives will decide how deep the US-Brazil rift becomes.
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