Brazilian Court Rejects Bolsonaro’s Bid to Attend Trump’s Inauguration Celebration

On Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court rejected a petition by former President Jair Bolsonaro to temporarily regain his passport for attending the upcoming inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Washington.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom Bolsonaro often labels as his personal adversary, stated in the ruling that Bolsonaro does not currently hold any role that enables him to represent Brazil at the ceremony and that the former leader failed to sufficiently demonstrate to the court that he had received an invitation.

HOW BRAZILIAN POLICE ALLEGE BOLSONARO CONSPIRATED A COUP TO MAINTAIN POWER

Bolsonaro, who is under multiple expansive investigations including one concerning an alleged attempt to cling to power following his electoral loss, had his passport confiscated by federal authorities last February due to being considered a potential flight risk. He refutes the claims against him.

In response to the decision on Thursday via social media platform X, Bolsonaro accused Brazil’s judicial system of politically targeting him, likening his plight to legal issues faced by Trump in the U.S. He stated that Trump “overcame the judicial activism. I will too surmount it.”

The former Brazilian leader had sought authorization to exit the country from January 17 to 22 to participate in the inauguration ceremony on January 20, as well as a Hispanic inaugural gala. Bolsonaro, an ardent admirer of Trump, expressed on his social media on January 8 that he was “very pleased with this invitation.”

President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro delivers a speech during an event for launching a new registry for professional workers in the fish industry at the Planalto Government Palace on June 29, 2021, in Brasilia, Brazil. (Andressa Anholete/Getty Images)

“I will represent the conservatives, the right-wing, the good, the Brazilian populace there in the United States, God willing,” Bolsonaro expressed.

Upon de Moraes’s request for proof of his invitation from Bolsonaro’s attorneys on Saturday, they submitted an invitation letter signed by the inauguration committee co-chairs Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler.

Nonetheless, de Moraes contended that Bolsonaro had not sufficiently substantiated that he was invited to the inauguration. In his ruling, de Moraes adhered to the advice of Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who remarked on Wednesday that Bolsonaro’s personal interest in the trip did not surpass the public interest in restricting him from international travel.

De Moraes indicated that Bolsonaro continues to be a flight risk, emphasizing that the former president has advised his supporters facing legal challenges tied to their political affiliations to flee the country and seek asylum. Numerous supporters of Bolsonaro implicated in the January 8, 2023 disturbances in the capital, Brasilia, have departed Brazil to evade prosecution.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not be present at Trump’s inauguration.

Federal authorities confiscated Bolsonaro’s passport in February 2024 during a raid connected to the inquiry into whether he and senior aides conspired to disregard the 2022 election results and instigate an insurrection to maintain the ousted right-wing leader in authority.

The Supreme Court of Brazil previously denied Bolsonaro’s plea to recover his passport in March 2024, after an invitation was extended by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In November, federal law enforcement formally charged Bolsonaro and 36 other individuals, including high-ranking military personnel, with attempting a coup. Gonet, the prosecutor-general, will determine if Bolsonaro will be charged or if the investigation will be dismissed.

Legal analysts anticipate that Bolsonaro could face charges and undergo a trial in the latter half of 2025 at the Supreme Court for allegedly falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination documentation. Additionally, experts indicate there is a substantial possibility he may stand trial before 2026 for suspected embezzlement of jewelry gifted by Saudi Arabian officials.

The former president denies any attempt to retain power following his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his leftist rival, Lula.

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The Brazilian ambassador to the U.S., Maria Luiza Viotti, will be attending Trump’s inauguration, as disclosed by the government to The Associated Press on Thursday. President Lula did not receive an official invitation to the event.

Trump has invited several world leaders to his inauguration, including China’s President Xi Jinping and Argentina’s President Javier Milei.