Brazil’s former President Bolsonaro ‘taken to Florida hospital with abdominal pain’

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been rushed to a hospital in Orlando, Florida after experiencing “severe abdominal pain”.

The far-right politician, who currently resides in Florida, was admitted to Advent Health Celebration hospital for his ailments, local media reports.

Details of his “severe” pain have not yet been released – but his hospitalization comes just hours after his supporters wreaked havoc in Brazil and stormed the country’s Congress.

Refusing to accept Bolsonaro’s electoral defeat, they stormed into the Supreme Court and the presidential palace yesterday – just a week after the inauguration of his left-wing rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The attack – reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of former President Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro ally – required the intervention of military police to bring calm to Brasilia’s Tripartite Square.

Bolsonaro was stabbed in the stomach during his 2018 presidential campaign. He is pictured here on January 3, 2022, giving thumbs up from his hospital bed after being admitted to Sao Paulo, Brazil, with abdominal problems

He was taken to Advent Health Celebration Hospital in Orlando, Florida on Monday

Former President Jair Bolsonaro has been hospitalized in Florida, according to local reports

Bolsonaro, who appears to have ongoing problems with his stomach, was admitted to a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in January 2022 because of a blockage in his intestines.

He previously posted a picture of him lying in bed with his thumbs up after being admitted to a ward.

Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen during his 2018 presidential campaign – which ultimately led to victory – and has since undergone at least four surgeries.

While in Florida, Bolsonaro reportedly stayed at the home of Jose Aldo, a retired Brazilian professional MMA fighter and UFC champion.

The couple were pictured at Aldo’s Orlando home, which was found a few miles from Disney World.

The former president posed in MMA gloves and in one photo Aldo was even jokingly in a headlock – as the pair beamed from ear to ear.

Bolsonaro, who is facing various investigations for his time in the presidential office at home, arrived in Florida late December 30. He’s reportedly planning to stay in the United States for at least a month — and maybe up to three.

Since his arrival, he has been filmed wandering around his temporary neighborhood, absorbing the admiration of Brazilian expat supporters who flocked to the house where he lives and even held a mini-rally in support.

Pictured: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, center, meets with supporters Wednesday, January 4, 2023 outside a vacation home where he is staying near Orlando

Pictured: Bolsonaro supporters film him outside a Florida home as he greets them in the driveway. The former Brazilian president arrived in the state on December 30

According to the Orlando Sentinel, more than 50 well-wishers – some wrapped in the yellow and green flags of Brazil – gathered in front of the residence.

For 30 minutes, Bolsonaro posed for photos with his supporters and even wore a US soccer jersey as they gathered in the driveway of what is said to be Jose Aldo’s home.

He was also filmed at a local Publix grocery store, with a shopper filming the formal president searching the aisles before realizing he was on camera. Noticing the camera, he gave a thumbs-up gesture, somewhat awkwardly.

The timing of Bolsonaro’s arrival in Florida caused a stir because he missed the January 1 inauguration of his successor, Lula – a break with tradition that calls for a symbolic peaceful transfer of power.

Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting Lula’s election victory since October 30, blockading roads, setting fire to vehicles and gathering outside military buildings to urge the armed forces to intervene.

The head of Brazil’s electoral authority rejected a request by Bolsonaro and his political party to invalidate the ballots cast on most electronic voting machines.

Now US President Joe Biden is facing increasing calls to remove Bolsonaro from his self-imposed loophole.

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro march into the National Congress in Brasilia on January 8, 2023

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in front of the Brazilian National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023 while security forces operate

Some US politicians had no sympathy for Bolsonaro – Democrats called on the United States to bring him back to his country after a mob of his supporters stormed government buildings on Sunday.

Progressive New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on the US government to “stop giving sanctuary” to the authoritarian leader.

Meanwhile, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro told CNN that Bolsonaro “should be sent back to Brazil.”

“Almost two years to the day, when the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempting to do the same in Brazil,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter Sunday.

“The US must stop granting sanctuary to Bolsonaro in Florida,” she wrote.

Castro had accused Bolsonaro, who proudly adopted the nickname “Trump of the Tropics,” of using the ex-president’s “playbook” to refuse to concede defeat and undermine confidence in an election he had lost.

“I stand with the democratically elected leadership in Brazil,” Castro told CNN. “And he was basically using the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists to take over the government.”

Castro added that it “looks a lot like January 6th in the United States.”

“Right now Bolsonaro is in Florida, he’s actually very close to Donald Trump – he should be extradited to Brazil. In fact, he was reported to be under investigation for corruption and fled Brazil to the United States,” the Democrat continued.

“We talked earlier about asylum seekers and immigration — the Republicans are doing a big thing and trying to scare people about bad people in these groups coming into the United States. Well we know where one of them is, Jair Bolsonaro is in Florida hanging out with Donald Trump. He is a dangerous man.’

When asked if he was directly asking the Biden administration to remove the former leader, Castro pressed firmly: “Yes, absolutely. Bolsonaro should not be in Florida, the United States should not be a haven for this authoritarian who inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil.’

From Florida, Bolsonaro on Sunday rejected the accusation that he had incited his supporters, which led to the storming of government buildings.

He said on Twitter that peaceful demonstrations were democratic, but the invasion of government buildings had “crossed the line.”

“Peaceful demonstrations in the form of the law are part of democracy. However, looting and invasions of public buildings, as is happening today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, elude the rule,” he wrote.

“Throughout my tenure, I have always abided by the four lines of the Constitution, respecting and defending the law, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom. Furthermore, I reject the allegations without evidence attributed to me by the current head of the Brazilian executive branch.’