Bolsonaro drops 'president' claim, calls himself 'leader'

Brazil's defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has retracted his claim of being the "true" and "elected president," replacing the terms with "leader" in a revised statement on X. Bolsonaro, who fled to Miami despite a court order to surrender his passports, insists Sunday's victory by incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was "abhorrent election fraud." He faces potential legal issues, as his father, ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, was already sentenced for an attempted coup. The right-wing politician plans to lead the opposition from abroad, comparing himself to Charles de Gaulle, who directed Free France from London during World War II. He denies wrongdoing and claims political persecution amid a money laundering investigation.