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Brazil Court Denies Jair Bolsonaro Permission To Attend Trump’s Inauguration

Brazil's court denies former president Jair Bolsonaro's request to attend Trump's inauguration, citing the severity of charges against him. His passport remains confiscated amid ongoing investigations into his alleged involvement in a coup attempt and political unrest.

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Brazil Court Denies Jair Bolsonaro Permission To Attend Trump’s Inauguration

Brazil Court Denies Jair Bolsonaro Permission To Attend Trump’s Inauguration


Brazil’s Supreme Court has refused former President Jair Bolsonaro permission to travel to the United States to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025. This is amid serious legal challenges that have befallen the disgraced politician, who is under investigation for his alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow Brazil’s government.

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Bolsonaro’s passport was confiscated by federal authorities in February 2024 as part of a broader probe into a conspiracy to undermine Brazil’s democratic institutions. The probe claims that Bolsonaro played a leading role in a criminal plot to prevent his left-wing successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from assuming office through a coup.

In November 2024, Bolsonaro, along with several associates, was officially charged with the attempted coup. His lawyers had filed a petition with Brazil’s Supreme Court seeking permission to travel to the United States to attend Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. The far-right populist expressed his eagerness to attend the event, citing his close ties with Trump, whom he views as a significant political ally.

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Bolsonaro, infamous for his ultra-right-wing stance during his four-year tenure from 2019 to 2023, had himself publicly expressed the eagerness of attending the rally, even stating that he wanted to see the former president face-to-face, but the court dismissed his appeal.

A Concern For Flight Risk

On Thursday, Judge Alexandre de Moraes ruled that the gravity of the charges against Bolsonaro justified not returning his passport. The court underlined that, given the gravity of the crimes for which he is charged, it would be risky to allow Bolsonaro to leave the country because he may try to flee to avoid being brought to justice.

Brazil’s prosecutor general, Paulo Gonet, supported this move by saying that the public had an interest in seeing Bolsonaro in a court, surpassing Bolsonaro’s interest in attending the inauguration.

In detail, a leaked federal police report in late 2024 directly accused Bolsonaro of orchestrating the coup himself. This document mentioned efforts where he was claiming to have assured some of Brazil’s top generals to back up his cause by force, for example, targeting President Lula with either attempted kidnapping or execution.

Bolsonaro has denied all the charges, terming them part of a political smear campaign aimed at humiliating him. Even though he has protested against them, the allegations have raised the stakes in his legal battle. Political analysts predict that the mounting evidence against Bolsonaro may bring him closer to facing criminal charges or even prison time.

Eduardo Bolsonaro Steps In

While Bolsonaro himself will not be able to attend the inauguration, it is highly probable that his son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, will represent the family at the ceremony. Eduardo has been seen as a potential political successor to his father and continues to rally against what he views as a politically motivated prosecution of his father. Eduardo recently made a social media post accusing the Brazilian justice system of being weaponized to suppress political opponents.

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