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From Miami, Flávio Bolsonaro declares himself Brazil's rightful president-elect after losing the election

Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential election to President Lula, landed in Miami with his family after not complying with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. He has declared himself the rightful president-elect and says he left 'for the sake of Brazil'. The US provided visas to him and his family.

L 53% · C 16% · R 31% · 32 outlets

Left 2 · Centre-left 15 · Centre 5 · Centre-right 7 · Right 3

ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

Fleeing justice: Flávio Bolsonaro 'calls himself the ‘leader of Brazil’ after fleeing to Miami' (Guardian); he had refused a court order to hand in his passports (Morning Star).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Flavio Bolsonaro declares himself rightful president-elect of Brazil” (Reuters); “Flavio Bolsonaro declares himself Brazil's 'true' leader after landing in Miami” (France 24).

Right-leaning outlets

A contested result: he 'claims ‘criminals’ rigged contest he lost' (New York Post); 'I did not flee Brazil; I left for the sake of Brazil' (BBC).

Context

The wider geopolitical and historical background, in our words, each point linked to the source it comes from. Background, not a verdict on today's story. How we write it.

Flávio Bolsonaro is a Brazilian senator and the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

  • Jair Bolsonaro was president of Brazil from 2019 to 2022. Jair Bolsonaro
  • Lula has served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and again since 2023. Lula
  • Brazil's Supreme Federal Court is the country's highest court on constitutional matters. Supreme Federal Court

Checked 2026-10-29. Links were opened and returned a page that day.

Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)

Sources by lean

Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.

Left 3

Centre 3

Right 3

Showing 3 from each side of 32 rated outlets (L 17 / C 5 / R 10). More coverage

Video

News reports from outlets with a bias rating, balanced like the articles: the same number from the left, the centre and the right. A side with no matching video is named, never padded. Every video was checked to exist on YouTube on the day; titles are the publishers' own. Links open YouTube; nothing from YouTube loads on this page. How we pick.

Left 2

Centre 2

Right 0

No right-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.

Showing 2 from each side that has one; none found from the right.

YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts

Deep dive

The two opposites side by side, seeking to understand rather than judge. These are possible readings of the coverage, built from the articles linked on this page; they are not claims about anyone's motives. How we write it.

Seen from the left

“Flavio Bolsonaro lands in Miami, declares himself the 'leader' of Brazil” Deutsche Welle

A possible reading: refusing to accept a defeat and leaving after a court order undermines Brazil's democracy.

May be protecting: the authority of courts and election results.

Seen from the right

“Flávio Bolsonaro claims he was the "rightful winner" of Brazil's presidential election after landing in Miami” CBS News

A possible reading: supporters see the courts as having been turned against the opposition and question the fairness of the process.

May be protecting: protection from what supporters call political persecution.

What they agree on

Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential election to President Lula, landed in Miami with his family after not complying with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. He has declared himself Brazil's rightful president-elect; the US provided visas. Both say they want Brazil's democracy to hold.

Where they truly differ

He alleges the vote was rigged; reports cite no evidence of that, and Brazil's courts say he must answer a money-laundering probe he denies.

The paradox

The same flight is called escape by one side and exile by the other.

Open questions

  • What evidence, if any, has been offered for the claim to be the rightful president-elect?
  • How will the US visa decision affect relations between Washington and Brasília?
  • What evidence, tested by whom, could settle the rigging claim for his supporters?

Follow the money

Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.

Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (29 outlets)
OutletLeanOwnership & funding (MBFC)
HuffPostLeftHuffPost is owned by BuzzFeed, Inc., a publicly traded digital media company based in New York. In November 2020, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost from Verizon Media Group, with Verizon becoming a minority shareholder. In February 2021, BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti took charge of the combined properties. source
Morning StarLeftThe Morning Star is owned by the People’s Press Printing Society, a cooperative that readers can join. Revenue is derived through subscription fees, advertising, print sales, and donations. source
Associated PressCentre-leftThe Associated Press (AP) is a nonprofit news cooperative with a profit of $1.6 million in 2016. It also sells content to other media organizations. According to an article titled “ AP reports loss on one-time accounting charges,” t he Associated Press lost $74 million in 2017, and it states the reason as “mostly due to one-time accounting charges related to the federal tax overhaul passed late last year.” source
BloombergCentre-leftMichael R. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP (The parent company of Bloomberg News). According to Investopedia, Bloomberg Terminal (remote software used to access financial information) is the most expensive among financial data providers. source
Deutsche WelleCentre-leftThe German government funds Deutsche Welle (DW). They state, “DW is financed via funding from the state – i.e., from tax revenue. This is in contrast to the domestic public channels, which are funded via broadcasting fees.” source
EuronewsCentre-leftEuronews is owned by Alpac Capital, a Portugal-based investment fund that acquired an 88% stake in July 2022, with the remaining 12% held by government-supported broadcasters from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Ownership also has business ties with Hungary’s Viktor Orban. source
NBC NewsCentre-leftNo ownership data found
NPRCentre-leftAccording to a Columbia Journalism Review article dated 2010, a large portion of NPR’s revenue comes from dues and fees paid by Member stations and corporate sponsorships. In another article by Columbia Journalism Review, they state that as of 2017, NPR receives less than 1 percent of its total funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting(CPB). source
New York TimesCentre-leftThe Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source
The GuardianCentre-leftThe Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
The IndependentCentre-leftThe Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source
TimeCentre-leftTime Magazine is owned by Marc and Lynne Benioff and is funded through subscriptions, sponsored content, and advertising sales. source
USA TodayCentre-leftUSA Today is owned by the Gannett Company, headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States, with interests in newspapers, digital marketing services companies, and television broadcasting. Subscriptions and advertising generate revenue. source
Washington PostCentre-leftIn 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source
Ynet NewsCentre-leftYedioth Ahronoth owns Ynetnews. Advertising derives revenue. source
BBC NewsCentreThe BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source
France 24CentreFrance 24 is owned by France Médias Monde, a state-owned French holding company that supervises and coordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France. Besides government funding, they also generate revenue through advertising. source
ReutersCentreIn April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source
Sky NewsCentreSky News is owned by Comcast as of November 2018 and is funded through advertising. Rupert Murdoch is no longer affiliated with Sky News UK; however, Newscorp still has a share of Sky News Australia, which reports with a right-leaning bias. source
The HillCentreIn 2021, The Hill was purchased by Nexstar, which owns around 200 TV stations and media outlets nationwide. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. source
CBS NewsCentre-rightCBS News is owned by Paramount Global, which was formerly controlled by National Amusements, Inc., the holding company of the Redstone family. In 2025, Paramount entered into a merger agreement with Skydance Media, effectively ending the Redstones’ majority control. CBS News generates revenue primarily through advertising and affiliate broadcasting fees..push({}); source
ITV NewsCentre-rightNo ownership data found
Jerusalem PostCentre-rightIn 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source
New York PostCentre-rightThe New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns many conservative/sensational media outlets worldwide. The paper is funded through advertising, subscriptions, and newsstand sales. source
NewsweekCentre-rightNewsweek is owned by Newsweek Publishing LLC, which is co-owned by Dev Pragad and Johnathan Davis. Newsweek is funded through a paid subscription and advertising model. source
Wall Street JournalCentre-rightIn 2007, The Bancroft family and relatives sold the Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch for 5 billion dollars. Rupert Murdoch also purchased its parent company, Dow Jones & Co., through News Corporation. Subscriptions and advertising fund the Wall Street Journal. source
Washington ExaminerCentre-rightThe Washington Examiner is owned by Clarity Media Group, owned by Philip Anschutz, an American billionaire entrepreneur who describes himself as a “conservative Christian.” Anschutz is also the owner of the right-leaning Weekly Standard and has donated millions of dollars to right-leaning causes, including anti-LGBT groups, such as the Family Research Council, which has been labeled a hate group. source
Daily CallerRightNo ownership data found
The TelegraphRightTelegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source