Bolsonaro Gets Invite to Trump Inauguration, but There's a Snag

Ex-Brazil president needs his passport back after it was confiscated during coup attempt probe
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 8, 2025 2:19 PM CST
Bolsonaro Gets Invite to Trump Inauguration, but There's a Snag
Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro is seen in Brasilia, Brazil, on Nov. 25.   (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

As America gears up for Donald Trump's second inauguration in less than two weeks, a big name in Brazil is trying to get there for the big event—but he needs his passport back first. Politico reports that Jair Bolsonaro, the nation's former president, has been invited by the US president-elect to the Jan. 20 ceremony, but Bolsonaro's passport was surrendered months ago to authorities investigating his alleged involvement in an attempted 2023 coup to overturn Brazil's presidential election, which Bolsonaro lost.

In a Wednesday post on X, Bolsonaro said he was "very honored" to get the invite from Trump, adding that "my lawyer ... has already forwarded a request to [Supreme Federal Court Justice] Alexandre de Moraes for me to get my passport back so that I can attend this honorable and important historical event." Reuters reports that Bolsonaro's passport was confiscated in February. The ex-president had requested his passport back at least once before, to visit Israel, but that request was denied. (More Jair Bolsonaro stories.)

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