Bolsonaro arrives in Miami on private jet, claims presidency

Sixty million voters cast ballots for Flavio Bolsonaro in Sunday's presidential election, a figure the candidate cited in a letter to supporters upon his arrival in Miami on Wednesday morning. The Brazilian senator, his wife, and their two daughters stepped off a Gulfstream G400 at the Miami-Opa Locka airport. Their journey across the continent involved a stop in Argentina late Tuesday, a flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and a final leg to Florida.

Bolsonaro's departure from Brazil came days after he lost the election to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The move followed a decision late Tuesday to ignore a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. The court sought the documents as part of a money-laundering investigation in which Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing. The US State Department confirmed it would grant visas to the senator and his family.

Within hours of landing, Bolsonaro described himself as the rightful president-elect. He stated he left Brazil to serve as the leader his people deserve. The senator accused Lula and the Supreme Court of executing an electoral coup. He pledged to lead the opposition from the United States.

In a letter passed to journalists by his allies, Bolsonaro addressed his 60 million voters and the wider Brazilian public. "I want to say, not only to my 60 million voters but to the Brazilian people, that I am the elected president and that the criminals who stole Brazil's election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny," he wrote. International observers had concluded earlier that Sunday's vote was fair, and Bolsonaro provided no evidence of fraud in the letter.

The flight route drew attention because of a sharp contrast with his previous statements. On Monday, Bolsonaro posted on Instagram that he had no intention of leaving Brazil. He wrote that he would "hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me." His immunity from prosecution ends in February when his Senate term concludes. According to the AFP news agency, he holds Italian citizenship, which allowed him to travel despite his canceled Brazilian and diplomatic passports.

The arrival adds to existing tensions between Brazil and the United States. Bolsonaro's father, Jair Bolsonaro, also traveled to Florida after the previous election. During the campaign, Lula accused the administration of US President Donald Trump of colluding with the Bolsonaro family. Trump questioned the voting process, calling the extension of voting times a "very bad look." The elder Bolsonaro is currently jailed in Brazil on charges of leading a conspiracy to remain in power after his 2022 defeat.