Bolsonaro declares himself 'leader' of Brazil after fleeing country, arriving in Miami

By Fox News · Fox News

Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil's presidential election to leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, declared himself the country's leader after arriving in Florida on Wednesday. Bolsonaro fled his country after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexander de Moraes ordered his passports to be seized less than a day after Lula won the election. "I want to say, not only to my 60 million voters but to the Brazilian people, that I am the leader and that the criminals who stole Brazil’s election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny," he said in an open letter posted on X. According to Reuters, Bolsonaro initially declared himself "the elected president" in a since-deleted post. He then sent out an updated letter on X which included calling himself the rightful "leader" of Brazil. Bolsonaro, who lost the runoff election by a 3.58% margin, was served with an order to forfeit his passports and not to leave the country on Monday. "I was ordered right on the street to hand over my passports, and I'm also prohibited from leaving the country," Bolsonaro said, according to a Fox News Digital translation of a video he posted to his social media channels Monday. The order was signed by de Moraes, who Bolsonaro supporters accuse of being a staunch ally of Lula. TRUMP'S FINGERPRINTS SEEN ON LATIN AMERICA'S RIGHTWARD SHIFT AS BRAZIL BECOMES NEXT TEST Bolsonaro landed at Opa Locka Executive Airport just north of Miami with his family Wednesday morning after President Donald Trump granted Bolsonaro and his family visas. When asked Wednesday if he would approve of Bolsonaro coming to the U.S. following his defeat, Trump told reporters he would, adding, "I think they’re fine people." "The election ‌was very strange," Trump continued. "And I thought ⁠it was terrible. It’s gotten bad reviews. You look at what happened to their market." BRAZIL’S RAPID ELECTION COUNT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON VOTING SECURITY AHEAD OF US MIDTERMS Brazil's stock market…