Flávio Bolsonaro's 'president-elect' claim is mocked after fleeing Brazil
Flávio Bolsonaro's 58-minute 'president-elect' claim was met with widespread mockery after fleeing Brazil
At a glance
- Flávio Bolsonaro claimed to be Brazil's president-elect for 58 minutes after losing the election to Lula da Silva.
- He fled to Miami, US, on Tuesday night, just 48 hours after the defeat, and issued a corrected version calling himself "leader of Brazil".
- Brazilian newspapers and commentators mocked him as an amateur moron and con artist, predicting his political relevance would vanish.
Flávio Bolsonaro, the far-right Brazilian politician, declared himself "Brazil's true president-elect" for 58 minutes after losing the presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by 4.4 million votes. He fled to Miami, US, on Tuesday night, just 48 hours after the defeat, and his brief claim was quickly exposed as a farce.
The claim was made via an outlandish letter reportedly produced with the help of ChatGPT, in which Bolsonaro compared himself to historical figures like Charles de Gaulle and José Martí, as well as María Corina Machado and Rui Barbosa. A corrected version was issued shortly after, changing his status to "leader of Brazil" after being upbraided by Trump administration officials.
Brazilian newspapers and commentators, including the conservative Estado de São Paulo, rained scornful adjectives on the candidate, calling him an "amateur moron" and a "con artist of the highest order." The Estado de São Paulo's editorial board predicted Bolsonaro would "vanish into the basement of political irrelevance."
Lula's victory was recognised by rightwing leaders from around the world, including El Salvador's Nayib Bukele and Italy's Giorgia Meloni, as well as Bolsonaro's own party and key allies. The US diplomatic cable obtained by Folha de São Paulo called Lula's victory "surprising but definitive."
Social media users were merciless, with memes inviting supporters to attend a fake January inauguration at Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World and parodying the movement's slogan as "Goodbye, homeland and family."
Questions and answers
- What was Flávio Bolsonaro's claim after losing the election?
- He declared himself "Brazil's true president-elect" for 58 minutes, later issuing a corrected version calling himself "leader of Brazil."
- How did Bolsonaro's claim unfold?
- He fled to Miami, US, on Tuesday night, 48 hours after losing to Lula da Silva by 4.4 million votes, and published an outlandish letter reportedly using ChatGPT.
