Bolsonaro’s Bid to Attend Trump’s Inauguration Thwarted by Brazilian Courts

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a petition from former President Jair Bolsonaro to temporarily reinstate his passport, enabling him to attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump next week in Washington.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who Bolsonaro has regularly labeled as a personal adversary, stated in the ruling that Bolsonaro currently does not hold a role that permits him to represent Brazil at the occasion and that the former president failed to sufficiently demonstrate to the court that he received an invitation.

Bolsonaro, facing numerous extensive inquiries including one over an alleged attempt to remain in office following his electoral loss, had his passport confiscated by federal authorities last February due to concerns he posed a flight risk. He disputes the accusations made against him.

On Thursday, Bolsonaro reacted to the ruling on social media, alleging that Brazil’s judiciary is politically targeting him, drawing parallels between his circumstances and legal challenges in the U.S. involving Trump. He remarked that Trump “overcame judicial activism. I too shall prevail.”

The former Brazilian leader sought approval to exit the nation from January 17 to 22 to partake in the inauguration ceremony on January 20 and a Hispanic inaugural gala. Bolsonaro, a vocal supporter of Trump, announced on his social media platforms on January 8 that he was “very pleased with this invitation.”

“I’ll be representing the conservatives, the right-leaning, the virtuous, and the Brazilian populace in the United States, God willing,” Bolsonaro expressed.

When de Moraes inquired about proof of his invitation from Bolsonaro’s legal team on Saturday, they presented an invitation letter endorsed by the co-chairs of the inauguration committee, Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler.

Nonetheless, de Moraes contended that Bolsonaro had not sufficiently established that he was invited to the inauguration. In his decision, de Moraes adhered to the recommendation of Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who asserted on Wednesday that Bolsonaro’s private interest in the trip did not surpass the public interest in preventing him from leaving the country.

De Moraes stated that Bolsonaro continues to be a flight risk and noted that the former president has suggested that his supporters dealing with legal issues due to their political affiliations should leave the nation and seek asylum. Numerous supporters of Bolsonaro involved in the January 8, 2023 disturbances in Brasilia have fled Brazil to evade prosecution.

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

In February 2024, federal authorities confiscated Bolsonaro’s passport during a raid linked to the investigation concerning whether he and senior aides plotted to disregard the 2022 election results and instigate an uprising to retain the ousted right-wing leader in power.

Previously, Brazil’s Supreme Court denied Bolsonaro’s request to reclaim his passport in March 2024, following an invitation from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Last November, federal police officially charged Bolsonaro and 36 others, including senior military officials, with attempting a coup. Gonet, the prosecutor-general, will determine whether to indict Bolsonaro or dismiss the investigation.

Legal analysts believe Bolsonaro may face charges and a trial in the latter half of 2025 at the Supreme Court for allegedly falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination status. Experts also suggest there is a plausible chance he could stand trial before 2026 for supposedly misappropriating gifts of jewelry bestowed by Saudi Arabian officials.

The former president denies that he attempted to retain his position after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his leftist rival, Lula.

The Brazilian ambassador to the U.S., Maria Luiza Viotti, is set to attend Trump’s inauguration, as reported by the government to The Associated Press on Thursday. President Lula was not officially invited to the event.

Trump has extended invitations to various global leaders for his inauguration, including China’s President Xi Jinping and Argentina’s President Javier Milei.