Trump Opens US Door to Flávio Bolsonaro After Election Defeat as Money-Laundering Probe Intensifies

Trump personally backed US visas for Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family just days after the politician's presidential election defeat, even as a money-laundering investigation against him intensified and Brazil's top court ordered him to surrender his passports.

The Trump administration has confirmed that visas will be issued to Flávio and his family. Trump himself said he would approve their arrival, describing them as 'fine people' while questioning Brazil's election without presenting evidence of irregularities.

In a development adding further uncertainty, Argentina's migration authority says the family boarded a private flight bound for Ecuador, leaving their reported US destination in doubt.

The timing comes as Flávio's deadline to hand over his Brazilian passports expired, with authorities investigating allegations of financial wrongdoing that he denies. His travel is now part of an international dispute involving Trump, Brazil's leadership and an ongoing legal case.

Trump's Visa Green Light Clashes With Brazil Passport Order

Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Flávio to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports on Monday, 26 October, giving him 24 hours to comply. Reuters reported that the documents were cancelled after the deadline passed, citing sources familiar with the matter.

By Wednesday, Trump was stating that Flávio would be welcome in America. 'I think they're fine people,' the US president told reporters, adding that he thought Brazil's election was 'very strange' and 'terrible'. Trump also said he had heard Flávio was in Argentina.

The State Department's visa decision has been confirmed, while records from Argentina show a different travel route. Argentina's migration authority said Flávio, his wife Fernanda Antunes Figueira Bolsonaro, and their two daughters entered Argentina late on Tuesday with valid travel documents.

They subsequently boarded a private flight whose filed plan listed Guayaquil, Ecuador, as the destination. Their arrival in the United States has not been independently confirmed.

The Money-Laundering Probe Adding Fuel to the Fire

The passport order is linked to a Brazilian investigation into suspected money laundering involving Flávio and lawyer Willer Tomaz. Brazilian reporting says investigators are examining alleged financial and business connections between the two. The allegations remain under investigation and are not proof of criminal guilt.

Flávio is also being investigated over financing for Dark Horse, a biopic about his father, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

The inquiry concerns money allegedly committed by Daniel Vorcaro, the former head of Banco Master, and the route through which funds were intended to reach the film's production. These allegations should not be confused with a finding of wrongdoing.

The two inquiries are separate, and neither should be mistaken for a finding of guilt. Flávio has denied wrongdoing and has described investigations against him as politically motivated.

Lula Condemns Exit as Bolsonaro–Trump Links Face Fresh Scrutiny

Flávio lost Sunday's presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and has not formally conceded defeat. He previously said he would seek to challenge the result over alleged irregularities, while his Liberal Party acknowledged Lula's victory. Claims of electoral wrongdoing have not been substantiated in the reporting cited here.

Lula criticised Flávio's departure, saying he could have stayed in Brazil and proved the accusations against him were untrue. 'This act of leaving Brazil is shameful,' the president said, according to the Associated Press.

The family's links to Trump are long-standing. Flávio's brother Eduardo Bolsonaro lives in the United States and said before the election that he favoured his brother leaving Brazil if he lost.

Their father, Jair Bolsonaro, also left Brazil after his 2022 election defeat before returning home. He was later sentenced to 27 years in prison over an attempted coup and is serving his sentence under house arrest, according to the Associated Press.

Trump's willingness to welcome Flávio has drawn attention to Washington's relationship with Brazil's political opposition and the diplomatic implications of offering entry to a figure under investigation.

For now, the visas are confirmed, the investigations remain unresolved, and the family's final destination is not established by the latest confirmed travel record.