Bolsonaro's new life as a Florida man: Fast food runs and selfies - The Washington Post

In the week since, helium has been spotted waiting successful enactment astatine Publix, eating unsocial astatine Kentucky Fried Chicken and posing for selfies with the bevy of fans who amusement up astatine the modest, two-story location wherever helium is staying.

“My kids, they didn’t privation to spot Mickey Mouse, they wanted to spot Bolsonaro,” Leandro Neiva, a Brazilian dentist said arsenic he, his woman and their two young children waited to greet Bolsonaro connected Friday. “He is conscionable similar us. He could beryllium astatine Mar-a-Lago with Trump, but helium is present successful Orlando, and everybody knows helium is here.”

Bolsonaro’s Florida sojourn has go a flash constituent as scrutiny mounts over the astir important menace to Brazil’s ideology since the 1964 subject coup. Lula has accused his predecessor of “encouraging” the onslaught done societal media “from Miami, wherever helium went to relax” — an accusation Bolsonaro denies.

“In fact, helium ran distant truthful helium wouldn’t person to walk the sash to me,” Lula quipped successful a code Sunday nighttime aft the attack.

Now immoderate U.S. Democrats are calling connected President Biden to rescind his visa, saying the erstwhile Brazilian person shouldn’t beryllium allowed to enactment successful Florida. Bolsonaro has not been charged with immoderate wrongdoing, but immoderate analysts accidental helium could look aboriginal transgression probes connected unrelated matters present that helium nary longer has statesmanlike immunity.

“He’s a unsafe man. They should nonstop him backmost to his location state of Brazil,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) said during an quality connected CNN, adding Bolsonaro “used the Trump playbook.”

As helium signed autographs from his supporters, astatine slightest 1 of whom flew from New York to effort to spot him, Bolsonaro declined to remark Friday astir his clip successful Florida but to accidental the assemblage of well-wishers was a motion that “everybody loves me.”

While successful Brazil Bolsonaro is some loathed and revered, present expats overwhelmingly favour the antheral dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics.” They voted overwhelmingly to reelect him from expat ballot boxes successful Miami. Like immoderate supporters of erstwhile president Donald Trump, a contingent of Bolsonaro fans judge the predetermination was stolen — without immoderate evidence. Ahead of the vote, Bolsonaro said that if helium were to lose, it could lone beryllium done fraud.

Bolsonaro has fixed nary denotation however agelong helium plans to enactment successful Florida, a authorities that has agelong served arsenic a haven for overseas leaders escaping governmental oregon ineligible turmoil astatine home.

Over the past century, strongmen and erstwhile leaders from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Peru and Bolivia person relocated to the state, often buying spot and seamlessly blending successful with different expats from Latin and South America, immoderate until their last days. Cuban dictator Gerardo Machado is buried astatine a cemetery successful Miami’s Little Havana.

Brian Winter, exertion of Americas Quarterly and an adept connected Latin American politics, said it is not uncommon for erstwhile Brazilian presidents to permission the state astir the clip of a successor’s inauguration. But successful this case, Winter believes that Bolsonaro whitethorn beryllium preparing to question exile to debar transgression prosecution successful Brazil, though helium cautions helium whitethorn yet question refuge successful a state different than the United States.

“He has not officially been charged with a transgression yet, truthful for present this is either an effort to get distant oregon a self-imposed exile, depending connected who you believe,” Winter said. “I thin much toward the thought that it is the opening of an exile, particularly aft what happened connected Sunday.”

Bolsonaro is staying successful a location owned by Brazilian mixed martial arts combatant José Aldo da Silva Oliveira astatine the Encore Resort astatine Reunion, a gated assemblage located disconnected a road that leads to Disney World. He has been chauffeured astir suburban Orlando successful a achromatic Lexus and has appeared to beryllium surviving an exceptionally humble manner for a erstwhile president.

In the days earlier Sunday’s attack, Bolsonaro would look each fewer hours to thunderous applause. Then, Portuguese-speaking information guards — 1 of whom wore U.S. Army headdress — would inquire the assemblage of well-wishers to signifier a azygous record enactment arsenic Bolsonaro greeted each of them, signing autographs and shaking hands. Some of the fans were Brazilians connected vacation, others expats who backmost his blimpish authorities and are enraged by Lula’s victory.

“We are successful occupation now,” said Deborah Sartori, 48, who broke down successful tears aft gathering Bolsonaro. “I deliberation Lula stole the predetermination … and present we are disquieted astir the aboriginal of Brazil.”

Lula “wants to marque the full South America, and Central America similar 1 large country,” Antonio Fernando Mariz, 70, a Brazilian American who lives successful Clearwater, Fla., said aft Bolsonaro signed his T-shirt connected Friday. “I was reasoning astir buying a spot successful Brazil, but now, perfectly not!”

Bolsonaro’s determination successful Orlando has rapidly dispersed connected societal media, helping to crook the Encore Resort astatine Reunion into a quasi-pilgrimage for his supporters.

One Brazilian societal media prima and pastor with much than 1 cardinal Instagram followers, Junior Trovão, said helium was connected abrogation successful Florida and decided to halt by Bolsonaro’s abrogation spot aft seeing different posts connected societal media astir the erstwhile president’s whereabouts.

“I came to speech to my president and spot my president,” said Trovão, who posed for a selfie with Bolsonaro, alongside his family. “He is 1 of the astir beloved presidents Brazil has ever had. Everyone loves him. Do you deliberation immoderate different president would bash this?”

As helium shared images of his time connected Instagram, Trovão said helium doesn’t responsibility Bolsonaro for fleeing to Orlando and that helium hopes Bolsonaro stays arsenic agelong arsenic helium wants, noting helium tin usage societal media to support interaction with his supporters backmost successful Brazil.

“I deliberation astatine the close clip helium volition spell back,” Trovão said.

Paulo Blikstein, the manager of the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies astatine Columbia University, said Bolsonaro could easy proceed to usage Florida as a basal from which helium could rile up his supporters and usage societal media to “spread disinformation.”

“I deliberation Bolsonaro mightiness conscionable determine to enactment successful the U.S. and, doing net stuff, dispersed disinformation and support his supporters happy,” helium said. “He could enactment successful the U.S. for a agelong clip and inactive beryllium an important dependable successful Brazil.”

Though Sunday’s insurrection was eerily akin to the chaos unleashed successful Washington connected Jan. 6, 2021, immoderate are cautioning against making excessively nonstop of comparisons betwixt Bolsonaro and Trump.

Winter noted determination is nary denotation that Bolsonaro urged his supporters to tempest authorities buildings, and helium did contented a nationalist connection condemning those actions arsenic chaos was unfolding.

“Bolsonaro did not did not basal successful beforehand of the Brazilian Congress and impulse his followers to spell amusement their strength,” helium said. “He was 4,000 miles away, and astatine slightest successful public, soundless connected Sunday.”

Yet, Winter believes the scenes of mob unit successful Brasilia has accrued the unit connected prosecutors to complaint Bolsonaro with a crime.

“If Bolsonaro is trying to play the agelong game, it got much analyzable aft Sunday,” Winter said. “Most of the radical who antecedently advocated leniency are present saying, ‘If we don’t prosecute, we volition proceed to tally into problems similar we did connected Sunday.’”

If helium is charged, Winter believes Bolsonaro would effort to assertion exile, either successful the United States oregon possibly successful Europe. If successful the United States, Winter doubts the Biden medication would assistance it. Bolsonaro’s champion hope, helium said, could beryllium to the resistance retired the process until aft the 2024 statesmanlike election.

“If Interpol is aft him, I don’t deliberation Joe Biden’s America would structure him,” Winter said. “But Ron DeSantis’s America might.”

What benignant of visa helium entered the state with remains unclear. Reuters reported that Bolsonaro apt utilized an A-1 visa, which is fixed to diplomats and authorities leaders participating successful authoritative activities. State Department spokesperson Ned Price declined to sermon the details of immoderate individual’s visa situation, citing privateness rules. But helium noted that holders of an A-1 visa contiguous successful the U.S. person 30 days pursuing the cessation of their authoritative presumption to use for a antithetic visa. After that, they are taxable to removal by the Department of Homeland Security.

Fabio de Sa e Silva, a prof of Brazilian studies astatine University of Oklahoma, said the Biden medication could revoke Bolsonaro’s visa astatine immoderate point.

“There is nary request for immoderate ceremonial process oregon ceremonial petition from the Brazilian authorities oregon immoderate authority,” helium said. “It’s wholly wrong the discretion of the U.S. administration.”

On Monday, Brazilian paper O Globo reported that Bolsonaro had been admitted to AdventHealth Celebration, a infirmary successful Kissimmee, complaining of terrible abdominal pain. He has been hospitalized respective times since being stabbed during a run rally successful 2018. A infirmary typical declined to corroborate his admittance oregon stock immoderate details astir his condition.

If Bolsonaro does effort to stay successful Florida, Orlando would beryllium a telling destination. While earlier generations of Brazilian expats flocked to South Florida, assemblage leaders accidental Orlando has progressively drawn a increasing fig of compatriots.

“We accidental Orlando is the champion metropolis of Brazil,” Marcello Ribeiro, 37, a Brazilian who moved to Orlando 2 years agone said arsenic helium waited to conscionable Bolsonaro connected Saturday. “Florida is simply a precise bully place, and the upwind successful Orlando is precise akin to Brazil.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey, determination are astir 115,000 Brazilians successful Florida, representing 22 percent of each Brazilians surviving successful the U.S. Brazilians bought $700 cardinal successful Florida existent property from August 2020 to July 2021, trailing lone Canadians, Argentines and Colombians successful statewide location purchases during that period, a study from the Florida Realtors, a commercialized association, found.

Several Brazilian Bolsonaro supporters said that too the weather, Brazilians are progressively drawn to Florida due to the fact that it has a estimation for being a hub of conservatism, including being the location of some Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

“I deliberation present for me, Florida is the champion spot successful the United States due to the fact that with Biden, and present we person Republicans and I deliberation it is much harmless and better,” said Michel Pires, 49, who sold his furnishings store successful Brazil past twelvemonth and bought a location successful the Encore Resort astatine Reunion.

But determination are signs that immoderate residents and visitors to the assemblage person go uneasy implicit the spectacle that present plays retired regular successful beforehand of Bolsonaro’s residence.

One pistillate complained to the edifice information connected Saturday that the crowds threatened to derail her wedding. She was scheduled to get joined astatine a gazebo successful the edifice and the crowd of Bolsonaro supporters was successful nonstop enactment of show for her photographs.

“I don’t adjacent cognize this man, but these radical are going to beryllium successful my wedding photos,” the woman, who identified herself lone arsenic Heather, pleaded with Bolsonaro’s information guards.

Besides the commotion successful beforehand of his residence, Bolsonaro appears to person mostly gone unnoticed.

On New Year’s Eve, a video of Bolsonaro eating unsocial astatine a KFC edifice went viral. When a Post newsman visited the edifice implicit the weekend, the unit said they did not cognize Bolsonaro had been there.

“Did helium person information guards with him?” Karen Jones, the displacement supervisor, asked aft being shown a photograph of eating adjacent to the photograph montage of KFC’s founder, Colonel Harland Sanders. “It was decidedly this store … I americium definite we whitethorn person seen different celebrated radical successful present but we don’t adjacent cognize it.”

At slightest for now, Bolsonaro’s Brazilian supporters cognize precisely wherever they tin find him.

Maria Lucia, 65, works arsenic a location wellness adjutant successful New York City and spent $362 connected a level summons truthful she could alert to Orlando implicit the weekend. She wrapped herself successful a Brazilian emblem and waited patiently for Bolsonaro to rotation retired of his location to greet astir 200 well-wishers.

Bolsonaro, wearing bluish jeans and a shot jersey, hugged Lucia arsenic helium signed her flag.

“I volition bent this successful my apartment,” said Lucia, arsenic she beamed implicit the encounter. “What different president would bash this?”

Emmanuel Felton, Karen DeYoung, Annabelle Timsit, Júlia Ledur, Paulina Villegas, Razzan Nakhlawi and Scott Clement contributed to this report.