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Trump Says He Approves of Flávio Bolsonaro Coming to U.S. After Brazil Election Loss

President Donald Trump said he approves of defeated Brazilian candidate Flávio Bolsonaro coming to the United States, after the State Department said it would grant visas to Bolsonaro and his family following his departure from Brazil.

By admin Oct. 28, 2026 · 2:41 AM ET 2 min read

Airplanes parked at gates beside a large airport terminal building at dusk, with ground service vehicles on the tarmac.
Airplanes parked at gates beside a large airport terminal building at dusk, with ground service vehicles on the tarmac.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he approves of defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro coming to the United States, after the State Department said it would grant visas to Bolsonaro and his family.

Trump spoke to reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews after returning from a campaign trip to Texas. “Well, I would approve,” he said, adding that he had heard Bolsonaro was in Argentina.

Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator, left Brazil after losing Sunday’s presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. USA TODAY reported he was on a plane headed to the United States, citing two U.S. officials. He has not conceded the result.

A stone government building in Washington with American flags on poles and a small group of reporters standing across the street.

A senior State Department official said Tuesday the department would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them into the United States, according to Reuters and USA TODAY.

Bolsonaro left after refusing a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. The order came in a money laundering investigation in which he denies wrongdoing, Reuters reported.

Lula calls departure shameful

Lula, speaking at a celebration for his 81st birthday in Brasilia, called the departure “shameful” and said he had just learned of it. “This is what the Bolsonaro family is like,” he said. “Brazil is their second nation, the U.S. is their first.”

Father’s earlier departure

Flávio Bolsonaro is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who went to the United States after refusing to concede to Lula in 2022. The elder Bolsonaro later returned to Brazil and is now serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest after his conviction for plotting a coup.

A passenger airplane taking off from a runway at sunset, seen from across airport grounds.

Trump has called the elder Bolsonaro’s trial a “witch hunt,” according to USA TODAY. On Monday, Trump said Brazil’s vote “looked like another rigged election,” Reuters reported.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and USA TODAY.

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