Trump Not Planning to Back Bolsonaro's Claim to Brazil Leadership

US officials and a person familiar with the matter said the Trump administration has no current plans to support Flavio Bolsonaro's claim to be Brazil's leader. Despite past support for Bolsonaro and his father, the administration has not endorsed the defeated candidate's political ambitions.

Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil's recent election, fled the country after a court ordered him to surrender his passport. The decision came just minutes after the election was called for Lula da Silva, according to Brazilian media reports.

The White House referred a request for comment to the State Department, which did not respond. The Brazilian government and a representative for Bolsonaro also did not comment on the matter. Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is currently imprisoned in Brazil.

Bolsonaro and his family entered Argentina and then flew to Miami via Ecuador. It is unclear how he exited Brazil without customs officials' knowledge. During his journey, Bolsonaro contacted multiple US officials, according to one of them.

Jason Miller, a Trump adviser close to the Bolsonaro family, helped arrange the flight. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recommended Bolsonaro's admission to Trump, who approved the request. US authorities granted them humanitarian parole at the border.

Bolsonaro declared himself 'the elected president' in an open letter before deleting it and reissuing a statement claiming to be Brazil's 'rightful leader.' His departure marks another chapter in a turbulent period for Brazilian politics and US-Brazil relations.