SAO PAULO: Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro declared himself the legitimate leader of Brazil on Wednesday after arriving in the United States, stating that he fell victim to an electoral coup orchestrated by the Supreme Court in his country and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who won the elections by more than four million votes. Bolsonaro arrived in Miami after leaving Brazil, where he refused to comply with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. He thanked Argentine President Javier Milei for assisting him on this trip, as well as former US President Donald Trump, who granted him and his family visas and welcomed them. In a message posted on the X platform before it was deleted, Bolsonaro declared himself the “elected president.” He later published another message stating that he is the legitimate “leader” of Brazil. In the new version of his message, he said, “I want to say, not only to sixty million of my voters, but to the entire Brazilian people, that I am the leader, and that the criminals who stole the elections in Brazil are part of a criminal organization that has established a dictatorial system.” He denied having fled Brazil, stating that he left to protect himself and his family and to avoid becoming a victim of a witch hunt that he accused Lula and the Supreme Court of executing. The Federal Electoral Court in Brazil, world leaders, international observers, and Bolsonaro’s own party acknowledged Lula’s victory. The head of the electoral authority, Cassio Nunes Marques, stated that the Brazilian elections were conducted in full compliance with legal and constitutional requirements, without referring to Bolsonaro’s message. In response to journalists’ questions at Joint Base Andrews regarding Bolsonaro’s comments, Trump refrained from commenting, reiterating a previous statement in which he said it was a “very strange election.” What Bolsonaro said poses a dilemma for Washington at a time when it seeks to mend relations with the largest country in Latin America, which holds the second-largest reserve of rare earth elements in the world. Lula accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaro family to return them to power. Before the elections on Sunday, Reuters reported on a campaign launched by the US State Department to reinstate the Bolsonaro family in power. Washington denies interfering in Brazil’s internal affairs. Trump had previously claimed that Flavio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution. Jair Bolsonaro traveled to the United States after refusing to acknowledge his defeat to Lula in 2022. He eventually returned to Brazil but was sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília. No comment has yet been issued by the US State Department. Lula’s office and the Supreme Court have not yet responded to requests for comment. This week, Lula stated that Bolsonaro’s failure to remain in Brazil to prove his innocence is “shameful.” Bolsonaro left Brazil secretly after the Supreme Court issued an order to surrender his passports in connection with an investigation into money laundering, which he denies committing. Bolsonaro, who was widely expected to win the elections on Sunday, did not provide any evidence of electoral fraud. He lost to Lula by approximately 4.5 million votes.