Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro says he could run for president again before 2030 after fleeing to U.S.

Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro said he is prepared to run for president again before the next scheduled election in 2030, while accusing authorities of persecuting him and alleging irregularities in the runoff he lost to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

“I have the courage to face whatever it takes to save our country, to run in another presidential election,” Bolsonaro said during an Instagram livestream from the United States. “And I’m not talking about 2030. I’m talking about before that.”

Bolsonaro left Brazil earlier this week after authorities moved to revoke his passports as part of a money-laundering investigation. He arrived in Florida after traveling through Argentina and Ecuador.

“I didn’t leave Brazil. I left for Brazil,” he said, arguing that speaking from abroad would allow him to express himself more freely and remain politically active.

Bolsonaro also questioned the election result, comparing alleged irregularities to “handballs” that VAR failed to disallow and accusing his opponent of operating outside electoral law.

He offered no evidence to support claims that the runoff result was fraudulent. Brazil’s electoral authorities certified Lula’s victory with 51.79% of valid votes against Bolsonaro’s 48.21%.

Bolsonaro also predicted that Lula’s government could collapse before the end of its term and said Brazil was “destined to collapse” economically.

He recounted an emotional conversation with his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, saying the elder Bolsonaro looked at him with tears in his eyes and warned that authorities were moving against him.

Flávio Bolsonaro said he intends to continue exercising political leadership from abroad and challenge the election result through legal channels.