After landing in US, Flavio Bolsonaro declares himself Brazil's rightful leader

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro declared ​himself Brazil's rightful leader on Wednesday after arriving in the United States, alleging he was the victim of an electoral coup by the country's ‌Supreme Court and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who won the vote by over 4 million votes, Reuters reported.

Bolsonaro arrived in Miami after leaving Brazil, where he refused to comply with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports.

He thanked Argentine leader Javier Milei for helping him make the journey and US President Donald Trump, who granted him and his family entry visas, for welcoming him.

In an initial ​open letter posted on X, Bolsonaro declared himself "the elected president." He then deleted that version and updated it with another letter in which he said he ​was the rightful "leader" of Brazil.

"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 the updated version.

Lula's victory ​has been recognized by Brazil's federal electoral court, global leaders, international observers, and Bolsonaro's own party.

Brazil's election took place in full compliance with legal and constitutional requirements, electoral authority chief ​Kassio Nunes Marques said in a statement, without referencing Bolsonaro's letter.

Asked by reporters at Joint Base Andrews about Bolsonaro's comments, Trump declined to comment, reiterating earlier views that it was "a very strange election."