Flávio Bolsonaro's U.S. Exit Triggers Viral Meme Wave in Brazil

Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday, following his loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday's Brazilian presidential election. The departure of the 45-year-old former vice president and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro ignited a rapid expansion of political memes on Brazilian social media platforms.

Bolsonaro was under investigation for money laundering and corruption at the time of the election. On Monday, he stated he had no intention of leaving Brazil. He departed the country shortly after making that statement.

Social media played a major role in the election outcome. The mobilization of the left on digital networks was a critical factor in how the vote played out. The sudden sequence of events following the election pushed Brazil's meme creation to high volume, aided by artificial intelligence tools. Posts accumulated hundreds of thousands of likes and shares.

Carolina Terra, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo’s communications and arts school, noted that Brazilians often address serious topics with humor. "Everything that is extremely relevant and important, whether political or not, tends to turn into memes that become viral," she said.

Many users depicted Bolsonaro as Waldo from the children's puzzle book series, asking "Where is Flávio?" Other posts showed him in various costumes, including outfits resembling a Rastafarian, Mario, soccer player Ronaldo, and John Lennon. One meme titled "Which costume would you use to flee?" presented these options.

Bolsonaro posted a letter on X upon landing in Miami. He declared himself the "true president-elect of Brazil," a term he later changed to "leader." He claimed the vote was fraudulent without providing evidence. He compared himself to Charles de Gaulle, who led the French resistance from London during World War II.

The letter used a coat of arms that referred to Brazil as the "United States of Brazil" instead of the "Federative Republic of Brazil." It also misspelled the country's name in Portuguese, using the English spelling with a "z" instead of the Portuguese "Brasil."

Users created mock invitations to an inauguration ceremony for the president of the "United States of Brazil." These invitations were signed by the cartoon character Goofy and featured a Disneyland background. Other memes parodied the slogan "God, homeland and family" by changing it to "Goodbye, homeland and family."

Some memes drew on popular films. An AI-modified poster for "Catch me if you can" replaced Leonardo DiCaprio with Bolsonaro and Tom Hanks with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Moraes had ordered the cancellation of Bolsonaro's passports on Sunday night. Another altered poster for "Home Alone" showed Flávio and his brother Eduardo as thieves, with Jair Bolsonaro in the foreground.

Viktor Chagas, a professor at Fluminense Federal University, said fewer memes circulated during the campaign due to a lack of debates between the main candidates before the first round. He noted that the memes regarding Bolsonaro's departure serve a cathartic function for Lula's supporters. "The idea is: Now that we’re back on track, so to speak, we can laugh together," Chagas said.