US to issue visas to Bolsonaro after Brazil exit reports

The United States plans to issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, a senior U.S. administration official said Tuesday, as Brazilian media reported that the presidential candidate had left for the United States. His whereabouts have not been independently confirmed.

Bolsonaro lost Sunday's presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by more than four million votes, three weeks after taking the first round. Lula finished with just over 51% of valid votes, about 64.2 million, against nearly 59.8 million, or more than 48%, for Bolsonaro. His Liberal Party has recognized Lula's victory, but Bolsonaro has not conceded.

Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours and barred him from leaving the country. He faces multiple investigations in Brazil, including allegations of money laundering and tax evasion, which he denies. In a video released Monday, Bolsonaro said federal police officers stopped him outside his father's home and told him to hand over his documents.

In that video, Bolsonaro said he had never considered leaving the country and would turn over his passports to answer the accusations. He called the court's order an attempt to intimidate him. Reports of his departure surfaced from Brazilian media on Tuesday; his campaign manager, his lawyer and political allies said earlier they did not know where he was.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, his brother, lives in self-imposed exile in Florida and suggested before the election that Flavio should leave Brazil if he lost. Their father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, is under house arrest after a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup following his 2022 loss to Lula.

Lula discussed Bolsonaro's reported departure at his 81st birthday celebrations in Brasilia on Tuesday. "Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear," Lula told supporters, adding that Bolsonaro could have stayed to contest the accusations. He also said the family's ties to the Trump administration run deep: "Brazil is their second home; their first home is the United States." President Trump has said the Brazilian election was "rigged," without offering evidence, and repeated the claim at a Texas rally Tuesday night.

Flavio Bolsonaro is a conservative politician and ally of President Donald Trump.