President Donald Trump said the United States granted Flávio Bolsonaro a pass to enter the country, while making clear he will not get involved in the political fallout from Brazil's presidential election. Trump made the remarks to reporters in a video posted Wednesday by Rapid Response 47, an account with 2.3 million followers.
"We gave him a pass to come into the country, so we'll see — but I won't get involved," Trump said in the video. "It was a very strange election, that's for sure. I thought they were treated very unfairly."
The comments came as the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate and his family reportedly left Brazil after the election, with a State Department official telling CBS News they would receive U.S. visas. Reports from Argentina's government confirmed the family boarded a private plane to Ecuador after crossing the border into Argentina. The Brazilian senator's whereabouts had been the subject of conflicting accounts, with some reports suggesting he traveled to Argentina, Ecuador or the United States after defying a court order to turn in his passports.
Trump, who said he had not taken a position in the election, nonetheless indicated he would speak up when he sees something inappropriate. "When I see something that's inappropriate, I bring it up," he said. "I thought he and his family were treated very unfairly."
The president's remarks were first publicized by Rapid Response 47, the official account associated with the White House rapid response operation, which posted the video Wednesday evening. The post quoted Trump's comments about the Brazilian election and the Bolsonaro family's treatment, bringing the president's positions directly to a large online audience.
The situation in Brazil has drawn international attention, with The Guardian reporting that Flávio Bolsonaro, a far-right senator, and his family boarded a private plane to Ecuador after crossing the border into Argentina. The family's departure followed the election loss, which Trump described as "very strange" and said had "gotten bad reviews." Earlier in the week, Trump told reporters he thought the Bolsonaros were "fine people" and criticized the election's effect on Brazil's markets. "You look at what happened to their market," he said at the time.
The White House's decision to grant entry to the Bolsonaro family comes as Brazilian authorities have reportedly canceled the senator's passports, adding to the confusion about his whereabouts. The State Department official's statement to CBS News that the family would receive U.S. visas confirmed the administration's willingness to accept them, even as Trump publicly maintained he would not intervene in Brazil's internal affairs.
Trump's comments reflect a careful balance: acknowledging the U.S. has provided a travel pass while insisting he is not getting involved in the election dispute. "I'm not going to make a comment about that," Trump said at the start of the exchange, before going on to comment on the election's fairness and the treatment of the Bolsonaro family. "No, I have not," he added, when asked whether he had taken a position in the election.
The episode underscores the close attention the U.S. president is paying to political developments in Brazil, where the Bolsonaro family has been a prominent force. Flávio Bolsonaro's loss and subsequent departure have created a fluid situation, with multiple reports offering differing accounts of his travel. Argentina's government confirmed the family crossed into Argentina and boarded a plane to Ecuador, while a State Department official said they would receive U.S. visas.
The video posted by Rapid Response 47 captures the president's remarks in full, including his statement that he had not taken a position in the election and his repeated assertion that the Bolsonaro family was treated unfairly. The post itself carried the president's words to millions of followers, amplifying the administration's message that the U.S. is open to receiving the Bolsonaros while the president remains publicly neutral on Brazil's election outcome.
As the situation develops, the White House has not elaborated on the terms of the travel pass or what it means for the Bolsonaro family's stay in the United States. Trump's comments, however, make clear that the administration has facilitated their entry and that the president believes the family was mistreated. The president's remarks also suggest he views the Brazilian election with skepticism, calling it "very strange" and noting the negative reviews it has received.
The Bolsonaro family's departure from Brazil has been marked by confusion, with reports placing them in different countries at different times. The Guardian reported that the family flew to Ecuador after crossing into Argentina, while other reports suggested they might be in the United States. The State Department official's statement to CBS News that they would receive visas indicates the U.S. is preparing to host them, even as their exact whereabouts remain unclear.
Trump's comments, delivered to reporters and amplified by Rapid Response 47, represent the clearest public statement from the administration on the matter. The president has not said whether he would meet with Flávio Bolsonaro or what the family's plans are in the United States. He has, however, expressed sympathy for their treatment and criticized the election, while maintaining that he did not take a position in the race.
The episode is likely to continue drawing attention as the Bolsonaro family's situation evolves. For now, the president's message is that the U.S. has given Flávio Bolsonaro a pass to enter the country and that he believes the family was treated unfairly, even as he insists he will not get involved in Brazil's political disputes.
Our Take
President Trump's decision to grant Flávio Bolsonaro a pass into the United States is a welcome humanitarian gesture toward a family that has been treated with extraordinary hostility by Brazil's political establishment. The president's comments make clear that he recognizes the injustice of the situation while wisely declining to insert himself into another nation's election dispute. The Bolsonaros are fine people, as Trump said earlier in the week, and their treatment — including the cancelation of passports and the chaos surrounding their departure — reeks of political persecution. By offering them a safe haven, the United States is sending a message that it will not stand idly by while political opponents are hounded from their country. Trump's refusal to take a formal position in the election is prudent, but his moral clarity on the unfairness of the Bolsonaros' treatment is exactly what we expect from an American president. The White House should be commended for this decision, and the Bolsonaro family should be welcomed with the dignity they deserve.
