Translated from the original Spanish article. Read in Spanish
News published on October 28, 2026. The situation may have changed since then.
Flávio Bolsonaro didn't arrive in the United States on his own: he arrived with Donald Trump's blessing. The U.S. president said he approves of his arrival, and the State Department confirmed it will issue visas to him and his family.
What Trump said
Asked about Flávio's arrival, Trump replied: "Well, I would approve. I think they're fine people," as reported by NBC News and The Hill.
And he went further. About Brazil's election he said: "The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible." On Monday he had already called the result "rigged", without offering evidence. Flávio also claims there was fraud.
"I would approve. I think they're fine people": Donald Trump, on Flávio Bolsonaro's arrival.
The visas
A senior U.S. administration official said the State Department will issue visas to Flávio and his family, allowing them to enter and stay in the country.
One thing needs clarifying: a visa is not the same as asylum. So far, no asylum request has been confirmed. Some experts, such as political scientist Sean Foreman of Barry University in Miami, believe he could apply for it later.
How Brazil responded
President Lula called Flávio's departure from the country "shameful".
But his government chose caution with Washington. According to CNN Brasil, Brazil's foreign ministry is treating the case as a matter for the courts, not the government. And according to journalist Jamil Chade, of ICL Notícias, Lula's government doesn't believe the United States would agree to extradite him, and wants to keep a "pragmatic" relationship with Trump, focused on trade.
As for Trump's doubts about the election, the government decided not to respond for now. If Trump keeps pushing the fraud claim, it plans to answer with reports from the Carter Center and the OAS, which praised the vote.
History repeating itself
It's not the first time a Bolsonaro has gone to Florida after losing. In late 2022, his father, Jair Bolsonaro, traveled to Florida before handing power to Lula, and spent about three months there.
This time, the difference is that Flávio left the country against a court order. We cover that in [this story](flavio-eeuu.html), and explain what could happen now [here](flavio-que-pasa.html).
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Sources (in Spanish)
- Declaraciones de Trump y visados del Departamento de Estado: NBC News, The Hill, Newsweek, NPR y Time (27 y 28 de octubre de 2026).
- Reacción de Lula («vergonzosa») y opinión de Sean Foreman: CBS News Miami.
- Postura de la cancillería y del gobierno de Lula: CNN Brasil e ICL Notícias.
- Viaje de Jair Bolsonaro a Florida en 2022: NBC News.
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses; the author and license are shown under each image.
