Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters in Florida after being discharged from hospital

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was cheered by expat supporters on Tuesday when he finally emerged from his comfortable Florida haven a week after he was hospitalized for mysterious stomach pains.

The so-called Trump of the tropics has been in self-imposed exile in the Sunshine State as Brazilian authorities investigate his alleged links to rioters who stormed their nation’s Congress on January 8 to protest his electoral defeat.

He spent the first part of last week at an Orlando-area hospital being treated for an “intestinal obstruction,” but suggested on social media that he would soon return to Brazil, where doctors are more familiar with the injuries he sustained when he was stabbed. in the campaign. trail in 2018.

Bolsonaro’s whereabouts remained a mystery after security guards stationed at his rental vacation home in Kissimmee, a 15-minute drive from Walt Disney World, refused to say if he was inside but dismissed any suggestion that his life was in danger as “fake news”. ‘.

The handful of loyal supporters, ‘Bolsonaristas’, who had spent the past week patiently waiting outside the $850,000 property to see with their own eyes that the controversial far-right leader was okay, roared their approval when he finally stepped out into the cold air of the tomorrow this morning to greet you.

Wearing a blue fleece jacket and navy pants, Bolsonaro, 67, moved freely and appeared to be in good health as he gave DailyMail.com the go-ahead and posed for our exclusive photos.

“Thank you, but I don’t speak any English,” he said politely, before switching to his native Portuguese to speak to his die-hard fans, who begged him to sign their flags, jerseys and even sneakers.

Bolsonaro’s headquarters for the past month has been a 3,600-square-foot vacation rental complete with a pool and hot tub owned by José Aldo, a retired Brazilian professional MMA fighter and UFC champion.

His presence there is becoming a headache for US President Joe Biden, with growing calls for him to oust Bolsonaro after the defeated right-winger skipped the inauguration of his left-wing rival, the president. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and flew to Florida on December 30.

Despite being abroad when his supporters stormed the buildings to protest alleged “rigged” elections, Brazilian investigators have named him a “person of interest,” a charge Bolsonaro vehemently denies.

This weekend, a key Bolsonaro ally, former Brasilia security secretary Anderson Torres, was arrested by federal authorities as he was flying back to Brazil from Florida, where he was reportedly on vacation.

Torres was charged with conspiring to enable the attack by “sabotaging” police efforts to protect Congress, according to The Guardian.

The commander of the capital’s military police was also among the 1,400 people arrested for the riot that caused millions of dollars in damage.

Bolsonaro’s stomach concerns stem from being stabbed in the guts by a protester at a rally during his successful 2018 presidential campaign. He lost nearly 40 percent of his blood.

He has undergone at least four surgeries since then and was previously admitted to a Sao Paulo hospital in January 2022 due to a blockage in his intestines.

Bolsonaro was reportedly rushed to Advent Health Celebration last Monday, though there was never any official confirmation from the hospital, in Celebration outside Orlando.

In an Instagram post later that day, he wrote: “I came [to the United States] stay until the end of the month [January] but I intend to anticipate my return.

‘Because in Brazil the doctors already know about my problem of intestinal obstruction from the stab wound. My doctors did not accompany me here.

Ever since he flew to the US on a Brazilian navy plane, Bolsonaro has been filmed wandering his neighborhood soaking up the adoration of expatriate Brazilian supporters.

He was also filmed inside a Publix grocery store and was caught on camera eating a KFC meal in a now-viral video.

Some lawmakers did not like Bolsonaro, and Democrats called on the United States to force him to return to their country.

The progressive representative of New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, urged the Biden administration to “stop granting refuge” to the authoritarian leader.

“Almost two years to the day the United States Capitol was attacked by fascists, we are seeing fascist movements abroad attempting to do the same in Brazil,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro told CNN that Bolsonaro “should be sent back to Brazil” and accused him of emulating Donald Trump’s refusal to admit defeat in the presidential election.

“I support the democratically elected leaders in Brazil,” Castro said. “He basically used the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists to try to take over the government.”

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

“Right now, Bolsonaro is in Florida, he is actually very close to Donald Trump, he should be extradited to Brazil. In fact, it was reported that he was being investigated for corruption and fled from Brazil to the United States,’ continued the Democrat.

Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting Lula’s electoral victory since October 30, blocking roads, burning vehicles and gathering in front of military buildings, urging the armed forces to intervene.

But in comments made after the riots, Bolsonaro insisted that the invasion of government buildings “crossed the line.”

‘Peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings such as those that occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, are beyond the rule,’ she wrote.

“Throughout my tenure I have always stayed within the four lines of the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom.

“In addition, I repudiate the accusations, without evidence, that the current head of the Executive of Brazil attributed to me.”