US President Donald Trump stated that he would have approved
the arrival of Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family to the United
States, after the politician lost the presidential election to President Luiz
Inácio Lula da Silva and was publicly threatened by the latter during the final
debate.
"Yes, I would approve. I think they are good
people," Trump told reporters on October 28, 2016. The president also
described the Brazilian elections as "very strange" and questioned
the electoral process, although he asserted that he had not officially endorsed
any of the candidates.
The statements came after the US government authorized visas
for Flávio Bolsonaro and his family. The senator arrived in Miami after leaving
Brazil, despite a court order requiring him to surrender his passports as part
of an investigation into alleged money laundering. History repeated itself in
the previous Brazilian elections, in which Lula ultimately imprisoned Jair Bolsonaro,
who was also considered the winner by the citizens.
Upon his arrival in the United States, the senator
questioned the legitimacy of Lula's victory and presented himself as the true
leader of Brazil. This version is supported by the vast majority of Brazilians,
who, incidentally, are also now threatened by the regime, which has announced
it will target Bolsonaro supporters.
Lula's victory was recognized by the Brazilian electoral
authorities, which he controls, as do the country's institutions. The president
won by a margin of more than four million votes, after the polls were reopened
two hours later in an irregular and even illegal manner, according to the South
American country's own electoral body.