Brazilian Memes Mock Flávio Bolsonaro's Post-Election Trip to U.S.

Political memes have proliferated in Brazil since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in a recent election, with the latter’s subsequent departure from the country fueling a wave of online content.

The election saw unprecedented mobilization on digital networks, a critical factor in Lula's victory. Bolsonaro, who faces investigations for money laundering and corruption, initially stated he had no intention of leaving Brazil, but departed the country shortly after the election results.

This turn of events triggered an explosion of memes, amplified by artificial intelligence, which garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and shares across multiple social media platforms. "Brazilians treat serious questions with lightness, irony and humor," said Carolina Terra, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo’s communications and arts school. "Everything that is extremely relevant and important, whether political or not, tends to turn into memes that become viral."

Internet users widely depicted Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president's eldest son, as Waldo, the character from the "Where's Waldo?" puzzle book series. Another popular meme, titled "Which costume would you use to flee?" showed Bolsonaro in various outfits, including a Rastafarian, Mario from the Nintendo game, former soccer player Ronaldo, and John Lennon.

A meme titled "Flyvio Bolsonaro" portrayed him as the captain of "Fly 22 Airlines," a nod to the number of Brazilians who voted for him. The 45-year-old, an ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, landed in Miami and posted a letter declaring himself the "true president-elect of Brazil," a claim he later softened to "leader," while alleging the vote was fraudulent without providing evidence. He also compared himself to Charles de Gaulle.

The letter, posted on X (formerly Twitter), used a coat of arms referring to Brazil as the "United States of Brazil" instead of the "Federative Republic of Brazil" and used the English spelling "Brazil" with a "z" instead of the Portuguese "Brasil."

Some Brazilians received mock "invitations" to an inauguration of Bolsonaro as president of the "United States of Brazil," signed by the cartoon character Goofy and featuring Disneyland in the background. Other users declared themselves various titles, such as the "King of Soccer," a reference to Pelé.

Parodies of the slogan "God, homeland and family" also emerged, with some users adopting "Goodbye, homeland and family."

Memes also drew inspiration from 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, who issued the order to cancel Bolsonaro’s passports. The poster for "Home Alone" was altered to show Flávio and his brother Eduardo—who also resides in the U.S.—as the background burglars, with Jair Bolsonaro in the foreground.

Another meme referenced the movie "Dark Horse," a biopic about Jair Bolsonaro. An imagined "Dark Horse 2" poster depicted Bolsonaro on a horse with a presidential sash, galloping toward an airport. The tagline read, "The fugitive is different," alluding to Jair Bolsonaro's own departure to Florida after losing the 2022 election and refusing to concede.

Viktor Chagas, a professor at Fluminense Federal University and coordinator of the Colab research group, noted that fewer memes circulated during the early stages of this year's campaign due to a lack of debates between the main candidates. While the runoff debates generated more memes, the period was primarily marked by high political tension. "The memes regarding Bolsonaro’s departure to the U.S. have a cathartic element for Lula's supporters," Chagas said. "The idea is: Now that we’re back on track, so to speak, we can laugh together."