Eduardo Bolsonaro speaks on his brother Flavio’s 2026 presidential campaign

First on Fox: Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of the former president who is currently imprisoned Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaroa man on an unofficial diplomatic mission in the United States. His goal is to free his father, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence at the Federal Police headquarters in the country’s capital.

Convicted on charges of planning a coup, leading an armed criminal organization, and attempting to violently overturn the democratic rule of law, Jair Bolsonaro remains a popular but controversial figure in Brazil, still commanding a loyal following nationwide, especially in the southern strongholds of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

The son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announces his autobiography as his brother, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, enters the 2026 presidential race with a prison endorsement. (Ton Molina/Getty Images/Evaristo SA/AFP via Getty Images)

Eduardo Bolsonaro has continued his “maximum pressure campaign” against the current Brazilian regime on behalf of his father, lobbying the Trump administration to impose sanctions on the country, and for Magnitsky sanctions to be imposed on the President of Brazil. Brazilian Supreme Court Alexandre de Moraes.

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In 2022, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated incumbent President Bolsonaro in the closest election since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985. This followed Lula’s dramatic release from prison by the Brazilian Supreme Court in 2019, where he was serving a prison sentence for corruption.

While many expected São Paulo Governor Tarcicio de Freitas to run in 2026, he declined, paving the way for the former president’s other son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who announced his candidacy last December.

Speaking to Fox News Digital on Spanish prosperity party At Mar-a-Lago Eduardo Bolsonaro discussed the current situation.

“A lot of polls show my brother, Senator Flavio (Bolsonaro), tied, some of them a little bit ahead…Flavio is just starting out, he just announced that he’s going to run. It was a big decision that Jair Bolsonaro made, knowing that it would be impossible for him to run in the October elections, of course, because he’s in prison now. And it’s unfair, but it is. That’s a fact.”

Eduardo Bolsonaro believes the country’s economic and security issues will propel his brother to victory.

“Flavio’s strategy is to show how badly Lula is managing, especially in the economy and also in the field of security. These are the areas where Flavio is doing very well… Everyone is tired of Lula’s support for Hamas, the increase in criminality, and him not doing a great job in the economic field. So, Flavio, his focus will certainly be on the economy and security to defeat Lula.”

While Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula are clearly the top contenders, several other right- and center-right candidates have entered the race, including Minas Gerais Governor Romeo Zema, Paraná Governor Ratinho Junior, and Goiás Governor Ronaldo Caedo.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters on September 23, 2025 in New York City. World leaders gathered for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and the theme of this year’s annual global meeting was “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights.” (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

Eduardo Bolsonaro rejects fears that the current electoral scenario could split the vote and lead to Lula’s victory in the first round.

“It doesn’t matter who goes to the second round; against Lula, everyone will be together. Because we all know that the worst that can happen to the country is the re-election of Lula da Silva. So these polls that try to say that Lula… can win in the first round, if the right-wing movement splits the votes between these two candidates, that’s a lie. And it’s certainly not going to happen.”

“And of course, it is very good that we have more right-wing candidates… Why? Because they will all criticize Lula da Silva. So, even Flavio says publicly that it would be good if we supported more and more right-wing candidates… against Lula.”

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While former President Bolsonaro is in prison, his movement enjoys strong support in the country Brazilian Congresswhich recently passed legislation that would significantly reduce prison sentences.

However, Lula vetoed the legislation in January, meaning Congress may now seek to override that veto. In addition, the Supreme Court, which does not support Bolsonaro, may also review the legislation on constitutional grounds.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

“Everything the Supreme Court doesn’t like, they say it’s against our Constitution. And that’s how they try to get all the power over the legislature.” [branch]And sometimes even the executive branch. So, this is another chapter of this long invasion by the judiciary… Lula da Silva’s veto of the bill approved by Congress only shows that he is always speaking to the left bubble, he is speaking to the extreme left.

Eduardo Bolsonaro believes the Brazilian people support his father in the Supreme Court, and points out that his father was not even in Brazil during the January 8 riots.

“In Brazil they don’t agree [of the veto]They were tired of it all…on the same day [Jan. 8, 2023]…The “protest dictator,” Jair Bolsonaro, was in Orlando, at Disney World. So everyone knows this is fake and no one can support further discussions about this matter.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Donald Trump disagree over tariffs and Brazil’s treatment of Bolsonaro. (Adriano Machado/Evelyn Hochstein/Reuters)

“This is why Jair Bolsonaro is in prison because if he is not convicted of 27 years in prison, he will be free to run, and certainly he will be the next president of Brazil. This is the only reason he is imprisoned: for political reasons. This is why when Flavio Bolsonaro is elected in October and changes the political scenario, this will also change the scenario within the judiciary in Brazil.”

Eduardo Bolsonaro is fully focused on his brother Flavio’s 2026 presidential campaign as a means to free his father from prison.

“Now, I only have one role to play… to elect Flavio Bolsonaro, and he will grant amnesty to Jair. Not only to Jair, but to me as well. I am accused of crimes in the United States because I was talking to the authorities, the American authorities, and they consider this an assault on Brazil’s sovereignty.”

“Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who was sanctioned by the Trump administration with the support of Scott Picente and Marco Rubio, blames me for this. But since he does not have the courage to sue Trump, Picente and Rubio, he is suing me for it. So hopefully Flavio will be elected, and then as president, he will have the power to pardon me and my father and more than 400 conservative people who are in the country.” the prison.”

While Bolsonaro has historically performed very well in vote-rich southern states Rio de JaneiroIn Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, it performed poorly in Brazil’s poorer northeastern region, where Lula is originally from.

However, Bolsonaro promises a strong performance nationally, and says voters in the northeast are ready for change:

“It brings the truth. Nowadays people know that ‘populist social assistance for vote-buying purposes’ is how Lula gets so many votes in northeastern Brazil.”

Political protests in Rio de Janeiro (AP Photo/Andre Benner)

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“We are also making strong progress in the Northeast. The Northeast, as you will see, is no longer a region of Brazil that is under government control. [control of] Lola.”

Eduardo Bolsonaro spoke about the recent US military action in Venezuela, and pledged to renew the geopolitical relationship between the United States and Brazil, and fully support US action against communist regimes:

“Maduro is no longer president, and in Nicaragua Daniel Ortega arrested seven dissidents… who were running for president. How can you consider that a democracy? So, of course, it’s not a democracy. There’s no difference between these people and Chapo or Pablo Escobar. The only difference is that Nicolas Maduro and Daniel Ortega took over the country, they took over the institutions.”

“So everyone, not only Venezuela, but also Brazil, is really happy that the great army of the United States has arrested Maduro… He brings hope to the people. And certainly, we support them, not only publicly… but also in international forums.”

This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.