U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he supports the invitation of Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost the Brazilian presidential election on Sunday, to the United States.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Bozonaro had left Brazil for the United States. A senior U.S. State Department official stated that the U.S. would issue him and his family visas for entry into the country.
After ending his campaign in Texas and returning to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Trump said to reporters on the airport runway: "Well, I agree."
After losing the presidential election to the left-wing current president Lula, Bosonaro has yet to admit defeat. He previously refused to comply with an order from the Brazilian Supreme Court to hand over his passport, and subsequently left Brazil.
Trump said, “I think they’re all good people. This election is very strange, and I think it’s terrible. People have very poor opinions of this election. Look at what’s happened in their markets.”
He continued, “Seeing this situation, I think it’s really terrible. I didn’t take sides, you know. I know those two people. I know Lula, and I also know a little bit about Flavio. I’m very familiar with his father.”
Trump's reference to "father" refers to Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil. Trump previously claimed that Bolsonaro faced judicial persecution in Brazil.
Trump added, “His father was treated very badly, that’s what I believe. But I wasn’t involved. It’s a Brazilian issue, it’s a different country.”
