Jan 8, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Bolsonaro says Trump invited him to the inauguration

Avery Lotz

Jair Bolsonaro speaks on stage at a CPAC Brazil event. — Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's former president, during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Brazil in Balneario Camboriu, Santa Catarina state, Brazil, on July 6, 2024. Photo: Arthur Menescal/Bloomberg via Getty Imag

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday that President-elect Trump has invited him to attend the inauguration — but it may be difficult for Bolsonaro to attend amid his ongoing legal troubles.

The big picture: Bolsonaro — like Trump — had refused to concede his election loss while his supporters rioted. Now Bolsonaro is taking inspiration from the president-elect's impending White House return to plan his own political comeback.

After Bolsonaro lost the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — a race Bolsonaro never formally conceded — a mob of his supporters stormed the presidential palace and other government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023.
The scene, in many ways, mirrored the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack, when pro-Trump rioters forced their way into the U.S. Capitol.
The Trump transition team did not respond to Axios' inquiry to confirm Bolsonaro's claim.

Driving the news: Bolsonaro wrote in a X post Wednesday — on the anniversary of the infamous Jan. 8 riot — that he was "very honored" by the invitation, according to a translation of his statement.

But if he wants to attend, Bolsonaro needs his passport back. According to his post, his attorney has requested Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to release his passport, which he forfeited to authorities.
Bolsonaro thanked his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, for maintaining a relationship with the Trump family.
In a video attached to the post, the younger Bolsonaro said Trump "identifies himself" with his father because he was a "victim of it in the United States," referencing "disgusting lawfare," per translated captions.

Catch up quick: Brazil's highest election court barred Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030 over his baseless claims that Brazil's electronic voting system could be rigged against him.

In November, he was formally accused by Brazilian police of helping to plot the attempted coup that followed his election loss.
The authorities' proposed indictments capped a years-long investigation into whether Bolsonaro incited the riot.
He has denied any responsibility and accused the courts of political persecution.

Yes, but: In a November interview with the Wall Street Journal, Bolsonaro said he plans to register for the 2026 election (despite the eight-year ban) and expects Trump to help him do so.

"Trump is back, and it's a sign we'll be back too," Bolsonaro told the Journal.

Go deeper: Brazil's Bolsonaro echoes Trump's election fraud claims

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Bolsonaro says Trump invited him to the inauguration

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