Bolsonaro 'clears head' in Florida as anger grows in Brazil

Among the most popular traditions at Florida’s Disney World are the daily character appearances that allow the public to get up close to the theme parks’ star attractions.

- Richard Luscombe,Constance Malleret

Just a few kilometres down the road, beneath the palm trees of the lushly landscaped Encore resort at Reunion, Brazil’s exiled former president appears to have embraced the custom. From the rented villa where he’s been holed up for a month, Jair Bolsonaro regularly steps out to mingle and be photographed with adoring supporters, many of them holidaymakers from his own country.

Now, after more than 30 days as a temporary guest in the US, since his tearful farewell from Brazil two days before the inauguration of leftist successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro has decided he likes Florida so much that he wants to stay longer.

Apparently fearful he could be arrested if he sets foot back in Brasília as the investigation continues into the 8 January attack by his supporters on the country’s democratic institutions, Bolsonaro has applied to US authorities for a six-month visitor visa.

“He would like to take some time off, clear his head, and enjoy being a tourist in the United States for a few months before deciding what his next step will be,” his immigration attorney Felipe Alexandre said in a statement.