SAO PAULO — On Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court rejected a request from former President Jair Bolsonaro to have his passport reinstated temporarily so that he could attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump next week.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who Bolsonaro has often criticized as an adversary, ruled that the former president does not hold any official position that would allow him to represent Brazil at the occasion and further stated that Bolsonaro failed to sufficiently demonstrate to the court that he had received an invitation.
Bolsonaro is currently under multiple investigations, including inquiries regarding an alleged effort to remain in power despite losing the election. His passport was confiscated by federal police in February, as he was deemed a flight risk. Bolsonaro denies all allegations against him.
The former president sought permission to travel from January 17 to January 22, aiming to participate in the inauguration ceremony on January 20, along with a Hispanic inaugural ball. Bolsonaro, an ardent admirer of Trump, expressed his enthusiasm on social media on January 8, stating that he was “very happy with this invitation.”
“I’ll represent the conservative, the right-wing, the good, the Brazilian people there in the United States, God willing,” he stated.
Bolsonaro’s lawyer did not provide a response following the court’s decision.
When de Moraes requested evidence of Bolsonaro’s invitation from his legal team on Saturday, they submitted a letter signed by the co-chairs of the inauguration committee, Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler. However, de Moraes found that the former president had not satisfactorily proven that he was invited to the event.
In his ruling, de Moraes adhered to the advice of Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who indicated that Bolsonaro’s personal interest in attending the inauguration did not surpass the public interest in restricting his international travel. De Moraes reiterated that Bolsonaro is still considered a flight risk and highlighted that he has encouraged his supporters facing legal issues tied to their political activities to seek asylum abroad. A number of Bolsonaro’s supporters who were involved in the January 8, 2023, riots in Brasilia have already fled Brazil to avoid legal repercussions.
It is noteworthy that Brazil’s current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not be attending Trump’s inauguration.
Federal police took Bolsonaro’s passport in February 2024 during an operation linked to investigations regarding potential plots to disregard the 2022 election results and illegitimately preserve Bolsonaro’s presidency after his defeat.
In March 2024, the Supreme Court had also denied a previous request from Bolsonaro to reclaim his passport, despite receiving an invitation from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last November, Bolsonaro was formally accused, along with 36 others, including top military officials, of attempting a coup. Prosecutor-general Gonet is expected to determine whether or not to press charges against Bolsonaro as the investigation progresses.
Legal analysts suggest that Bolsonaro could face trial at the Supreme Court in late 2025 regarding accusations related to falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination status. They also indicate that he may face further legal challenges before 2026 concerning allegations of misappropriating jewelry presented by Saudi Arabian officials.
The former president refutes claims of attempting to maintain his presidency following his narrow election defeat in 2022 by Lula.
Meanwhile, Maria Luiza Viotti, Brazil’s ambassador to the U.S., has been confirmed to attend Trump’s inauguration, as the Brazilian government announced on Thursday. President Lula, however, was not officially invited to the ceremony.
Trump has extended invitations to various global leaders for his inauguration, including China’s President Xi Jinping and Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
