Brazil’s Bolsonaro Decamps to Mar-a-Lago To Commiserate With Another Former President

What’s a MAGA man to do after losing an election? Emulating President Trump, Brazil’s outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro, plans to skip his successor’s inauguration ceremony and travel instead to — where else — Mar-a-Lago.Mr. Bolsonaro will avoid handing over the official presidential sash to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at an inauguration ceremony at Brasilia on Sunday. Instead, the October election loser will fly this weekend to Florida for a visit with Mr. Trump at the famed Palm Beach resort, several Brazilian press outlets report. On Tuesday, the official Brazilian government website published a statement saying that the Office of Institutional Security has confirmed that the security team for Mr. Bolsonaro’s family will be “on a trip to Miami, Florida,” next week.“Bolsonaro will not be in Brazil for the inauguration ceremony,” a professor of international relations at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Regiane Nitsch Bressan, told the Sun. “His security agents have already traveled to Florida.”After defeating the right-wing candidate in the most polarizing election in recent history, the leftist Mr. da Silva will return to the Alvorada Palace, Brazil’s equivalent of the White House, for the third time. Since his defeat on October 30, Mr. Bolsonaro has cleared most of his presidential agenda and has avoided public appearances.Mr. Bolsonaro’s team has advised him to publicly address his supporters and to have a final meeting with his ministers before traveling. Three weeks ago, Vice President Hamilton Mourao told CNN Brazil that he advised Mr. Bolsonaro to take part in the inauguration ceremony as an act of respect. The outgoing president apparently rejected that advice. “It will be the first time in Brazilian history that a president will not be present at the inauguration ceremony of his successor,” Ms. Nitsch Bressan said. Several Brazilian press outlets reported early last week that Mr. Bolsonaro was going to spend New Year’s Eve at a resort in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. No official confirmation from the Brazilian government regarding Mr. Bolsonaro’s final destination was issued.A presidential plane departed Wednesday morning to Florida. It usually departs days before the official does, according to press reports. Unnamed sources close to Mr. Bolsonaro told the Brazilian newspaper UOL that the outgoing president would spend “a month or two” resting in a house at Mr. Trump’s sprawling Mar-a-Lago resort. The Brazilian embassy at Washington did not immediately respond to the Sun’s request for comment.The resort is not an unfamiliar destination for Mr. Bolsonaro. In March 2020, as part of an official American visit, Mr. Bolsonaro had dinner with Mr. Trump at the Palm Beach house. Throughout the years, the two presidents have repeatedly supported each other and enjoyed a “great friendship,” as Mr. Trump has put it.In 2019, Mr. Bolsonaro said Mr. Trump was his “idol.” Mr. Trump reciprocated last year by endorsing Mr. Bolsonaro’s run for re-election. “He fights hard for, and loves, the people of Brazil — just like I do for the people of the United States,” Mr. Trump said.Both presidents face potential investigations in their post-presidency eras. During the presidential elections, Mr. Bolsonaro took a page out of his friend’s playbook and claimed that there had been election fraud. After his defeat, his supporters began protesting the results in various cities of Brazil. For the past month, Brazilian police have been cracking down on protestors who refuse to acknowledge Mr. da Silva’s presidency. On Thursday, the police arrested four people and reported they will open an investigation into an alleged coup attempt during the nationwide riots.All of which sounds similar to fans of Mr. Trump, who is being investigated for his potential involvement in the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. He is also facing an investigation for secreting classified files to his Mar-a-Lago home. Mr. Trump also skipped out on his successor’s inauguration.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Decamps to Mar-a-Lago To Commiserate With Another Former President

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