Bolsonaro barred from attending Trump inauguration

Bolsonaro barred from attending Trump inauguration
Bolsonaro barred from attending Trump inauguration

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has accused the country's Supreme Court of political persecution after being denied permission to attend Donald Trump's presidential inauguration in the United States. The court rejected Bolsonaro's appeal to have his passport returned, which was seized in February 2024 due to ongoing investigations.

Speaking at Brasilia airport while seeing off his wife Michelle, who will attend the inauguration, Bolsonaro expressed frustration with the decision, claiming he faces "huge political persecution by one person," referring to Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Michelle Bolsonaro told journalists before departing that her husband is being persecuted, adding that "those that God sends will be persecuted."

The Supreme Court's decision came after Bolsonaro's lawyers submitted an appeal arguing that he had fully complied with previous court-imposed precautionary measures. Justice de Moraes maintained the ruling, citing that Bolsonaro remains a flight risk and noting that the former president has encouraged supporters facing legal troubles to seek asylum abroad.

Bolsonaro, who has been barred from running for office until 2030, faces multiple investigations, including allegations of plotting a coup following his 2022 election defeat. The former president, often called the "Trump of the Tropics," received an invitation letter from inauguration committee co-chairs Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler for the ceremony and a Hispanic inaugural ball.

While Bolsonaro will not attend, Brazil will be represented at Trump's inauguration by Ambassador Maria Luiza Viotti, as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was not officially invited.

The rejection of Bolsonaro's travel request follows the recommendation of Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who argued that the public interest in restricting Bolsonaro's international travel outweighed his private interest in attending the inauguration.