Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro landed in Miami on Wednesday morning with his wife and two daughters, BBC, DW and the Washington Examiner report. He lost Sunday's presidential runoff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In an open letter, he said the vote was stolen and claimed to be Brazil's rightful leader.

DW reports a first version of the letter, posted on X, called him the "elected president." He deleted it and posted a new one calling himself the "leader." The Washington Examiner quotes the first version.

"I did not flee Brazil. I left for the sake of Brazil," he wrote, in the BBC's translation. He called himself a victim of political persecution and repeated claims of fraud that the BBC calls unsubstantiated.

Brazil cancelled his passports this week after he missed a deadline to hand them over in a criminal investigation. The US then granted him and his family visas. "We gave him a pass to come into the country," President Trump said Wednesday. He added that he would not get involved but called it "a very strange election."

The family crossed into Argentina by land on Tuesday night, then flew by private jet to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and on to Miami, according to Argentine officials and flight data verified by the BBC. DW reports, citing AFP, that he also holds Italian citizenship.

Lula won the runoff by more than four million votes. The head of Brazil's top electoral court said the vote followed the law. DW notes Bolsonaro's own party has accepted the results. Lula criticized the secret exit, saying "those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear."

Bolsonaro faces two Supreme Court cases over money transfers and alleged money laundering, which he denies. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, also went to Florida after losing in 2022 and is now in jail.

What we know: Flávio Bolsonaro is in Miami on a US visa and is calling himself Brazil's rightful leader.
What we don't: How long he plans to stay, and whether Brazil will seek his return.