Flavio Bolsonaro retracts 'true president' claim, calls himself 'leader of Brazil' in new letter from US

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro retracted a statement declaring himself the "true elected president of Brazil" minutes after posting it, replacing it with a new open letter identifying himself as the "leader of Brazil" following his departure to the United States. The revised letter retains accusations against Supreme Federal Court (STF) ministers, alleging electoral fraud in the second round of the presidential election. He claims a decision by Minister Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours allowed President Lula to add over 10 million votes, a figure contradicted by electoral authorities who reported only 35,521 votes cast after 5 p.m. Bolsonaro fled Brazil for the U.S. with his family after a Federal Police request to seize his passport, ordered by Minister Alexandre de Moraes. He denies fleeing, framing his departure as a strategic move to lead the opposition from abroad, and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for granting visas to the group.