Bolsonaro’s claim to be Brazil’s leader not backed by Trump

The Trump administration does not plan to back Flavio Bolsonaro’s claim to be Brazil’s rightful leader, despite helping the defeated candidate reach the US after years of supporting him and his father, a US official and another person familiar with the matter said. President Donald Trump has said Brazil’s election on Sunday looked “rigged” but has pointed out that he offered no endorsement in the hotly contested race. Trump has also said he gets along well with incumbent leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the 81-year-old former union leader who beat the odds to clinch reelection by 3. 5 percentage points.

The US official and the person familiar with the matter, who both spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Trump has no current plans to support Bolsonaro’s political ambitions even as the administration allowed him into the country, though they said the president could change his mind. The Trump administration’s posture suggests the president may be reluctant to cause a fresh crisis in relations with Brazil, which have gone through ups and downs in recent months. LAST-SECOND DEPARTURE AFTER COURT RULING ON PASSPORT A third US official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Bolsonaro’s political capital had fallen now that he is in self-exile. Many conservatives in Brazil who had expected him to lead the opposition in the coming years have criticized his flight. The White House referred a request for comment to the State Department, which did not reply. The Brazilian government and a representative for Bolsonaro did not respond to requests for comment. Flavio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is imprisoned in Brazil for attempting a self-coup to stay in power after losing his reelection bid in 2022. Some Brazilian officials, also…