On Saturday night, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Flávio Bolsonaro, who was defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil's recent presidential elections, can stay on U.S. territory "for as long as he wants."
Trump referred to the stay in his country of the senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro during the Halloween celebration at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Upon arriving at the event, the Republican leader was asked by journalists whether he intended to meet with the Brazilian senator in Florida, where he has taken refuge, responding that "I have no plans to meet with him, but I think he was treated very badly, very unfairly."
He then declared that "he can stay here for as long as he wants," reaffirming that "in my opinion the election was a disgrace, he was treated very unfairly."
.@POTUS on Flávio Bolsonaro: "No plans to meet, but I think he got treated very shabbily... He can stay here as long as he wants... The election was a disgrace." pic.twitter.com/3o7nvyBrqv
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 1, 2026
An idea the U.S. president had already outlined last Wednesday, when he confirmed his permission for Bolsonaro and his family to enter the U.S. "We gave him permission to enter the country, so we'll see, but I won't get involved," he said.
"It was a very strange election…
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US President Donald Trump said Saturday night that Flávio Bolsonaro, who was defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the recent Brazilian presidential elections, can stay on US territory "for as long as he wants." Trump referred to the stay in his country of the senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro during the Halloween celebration at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Upon arriving at the event, the Republican leader was asked by journalists whether he intended to meet with the Brazilian senator in Florida, where he has taken refuge, responding that "I have no plans to meet with him, but I think he was treated very badly, very unfairly." He then declared that "he can stay here for as long as he wants," reaffirming that "in my opinion the election was a disgrace, he was treated very unfairly.".@POTUS on Flávio Bolsonaro: "No plans to meet, but I think he got treated very shabbily... He can stay here as long as he wants... The election was a disgrace." pic.twitter.com/3o7nvyBrqv— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 1, 2026
An idea that the US head of state had already outlined last Wednesday, when he confirmed his permission for Bolsonaro and his family to enter the US. "We gave him permission to enter the country, so we'll see, but I won't get involved," he said. "It was a very strange election (...) I think they were treated very unfairly and, as you know, I didn't take sides in the election, but when I see something inappropriate, I mention it," he added. During that same day, the former Brazilian presidential candidate had proclaimed himself the "leader" of his country in exile, announcing his intention to begin preparing an "opposition" in the style of Venezuelan figures such as Juan Guaidó or María Corina Machado.
For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Washington did not intervene in the preparations for Bolsonaro's departure from Brazil, although he acknowledged that Trump authorized his entry into US territory. "He already had a visa and the president made the decision to allow him into the country," Rubio explained during a press conference at the end of the meeting of G20 foreign ministers, held in Atlanta. He then added: "The president made clear that, if he arrived at a US port of entry, he would be allowed to enter the country under a temporary entry permit, and that is what happened."