Lula allies warn Flávio Bolsonaro's US move may backfire

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's allies believe Senator Flávio Bolsonaro is attempting to strain relations between Brazil and Donald Trump by relocating to the U.S. and contesting the presidential election result, potentially provoking a reaction that damages dialogue with Washington. Flávio left Brazil on Tuesday and arrived in Miami on Wednesday, following a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports in a money laundering investigation, which he denies. He released a letter calling himself the "true elected president of Brazil" and alleging electoral fraud without evidence, later changing the phrase to "leader of Brazil." He received 59.8 million votes in Sunday's runoff but lost to Lula by 3.6 percentage points. Trump said his government authorized Flávio's entry but would not comment on the self-proclamation or get involved. Government officials warn Flávio's strategy may backfire, potentially disorganizing the opposition and alienating voters who supported him mainly out of rejection of Lula. Leftist parties issued a statement noting the PL itself recognized the election results.