In a significant ruling, Brazil’s Supreme Court has rejected former President Jair Bolsonaro’s bid to retrieve his confiscated passport, denying his request to travel to the United States to attend the inauguration of his close ally, Donald Trump. The decision comes as Bolsonaro faces mounting legal troubles and allegations of plotting to overturn the country’s democratic order.
Passport Seizure Amid Coup Investigations
Bolsonaro’s passport was seized by federal authorities in February 2025 as part of an expanding probe into his alleged role in a conspiracy to dismantle Brazil’s 40-year-old democracy. In November 2024, the controversial right-wing populist was formally accused alongside nearly 40 others of criminally plotting to prevent his leftist successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from taking power through a coup attempt.
Seeking permission to travel to Washington D.C. for a six-day trip to witness Trump’s swearing-in ceremony on January 20th, Bolsonaro’s legal team petitioned the Supreme Court to temporarily return his travel document. The former Brazilian leader, who governed from 2019 to 2023, even jokingly told the New York Times that his excitement for reuniting with Trump had cured his erectile dysfunction.
Judge Denies Request, Citing Flight Risk
However, Judge Alexandre de Moraes ultimately rejected Bolsonaro’s appeal, asserting that the gravity of the alleged crimes meant the passport must remain withheld to prevent any potential attempt to evade justice by fleeing abroad. On the eve of the ruling, Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet argued that the public interest in thwarting Bolsonaro’s possible escape superseded his personal desire to attend the US inauguration.
“The seriousness of the crimes ascribed [to Bolsonaro] mean he should not be given back his passport in case he absconds,”
ruled Judge Alexandre de Moraes
Mounting Evidence and Calls for Arrest
The decision follows the release of an 884-page federal police report in late 2024, which accused the ex-president of orchestrating a complex plot to persuade top military officials to support a rightist coup, allegedly involving plans to abduct or assassinate key leaders like his election rival Lula. While Bolsonaro vehemently denies the charges, many analysts believe the extensive evidence has brought him closer than ever to imprisonment.
- Bolsonaro already banned from seeking office until 2030 for spreading misinformation
- Police report depicts Bolsonaro as mastermind of anti-democratic conspiracy
- Experts say chances of arrest have “never been higher” based on mounting evidence
Uncertain Future and Heir Apparent
With Bolsonaro’s own political future in jeopardy, attention has shifted to his congressman son Eduardo, widely seen as a potential successor and likely 2026 presidential contender. The younger Bolsonaro, who accused the courts of “lawfare” and “crushing opponents,” is expected to represent his father at Trump’s inauguration.
As the fallout from Brazil’s anti-democratic upheaval continues to unfold, the Supreme Court’s resolute stance in denying Bolsonaro’s passport highlights the stakes for both the embattled former leader and the country’s still-precarious political institutions. And while Trump’s return to the White House will inspire jubilation among neo-nationalist forces worldwide, his most prominent hemispheric ally will be conspicuously absent.
