Jair Bolsonaro Hospitalized Amid Mounting Legal Pressure

Former Brazilian Leader Jair Bolsonaro has been taken to the hospital in Brasília to be treated for a combination of vomiting, low blood pressure, and hiccups that extended beyond 24 hours, according to his son Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. He shared this information on his X account, including that his father was taking some tests, but was just being observed.

Long-standing Health Consequences Following 2018 Stabbing

Bolsonaro’s hospitalization is one of a lengthy series of health issues that remain as consequences of a stabbing in 2018, which occurred during the presidential race. In 2018, Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen while on the campaign trail at a rally held in Juiz de Fora that required numerous surgeries and the treatment of a digestive complication. Folha de S.Paulo noted that he had another surgery in April that lasted over 12 hours.

On Sunday in Brasilia, he had yet another round of medical work-ups/tests, including having laboratory studies performed and having skin lesions removed. The medical professionals who are treating him did not publish a bulletin in any fashion to provide updates. Nonetheless, given his age, health history, and surgical history, this raised questions surrounding Bolsonaro’s long-term health.

Legal Battles Pursue Following His Health

Bolsonaro’s hospitalization occurred only after receiving his most recent legal setback. In Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, it was announced that he was sentenced to 27 years and three months for allegedly conspiring to foment a coup after losing the Brazilian Presidential election in 2022. According to Estadão, prosecutors alleged that Bolsonaro coordinated efforts to undermine Brazil’s democratic institutions, citing meetings with military officials and inflammatory rhetoric meant to delegitimatize the vote.

Since August, he’s been under house arrest due to separate allegations involving pressure campaigns on the judiciary with former U.S. president Donald Trump. Reuters described these claims in a report, confirming that Bolsonaro was house arrest, while multiple investigations were still to take place against him.

Bolsonaro denies all charges, yet his legal footing is growing shakier. His political stature, once towering, continues to dissipate. His supporters, though, have not stopped expressing their support on social media, and individuals in Brazil’s conservative ecosystem continue to generate political support towards him. One of Bolsonaro’s long-time allies, General Augusto Heleno, also criticized the court’s ruling as politically motivated.

The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Brazil’s Trump of the Tropics

Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain and seven-term congressman, tapped into populist rage and nationalism to be elected president in 2018. The media branded him the “Trump of the Tropics,” and his platform could loosely be described as deregulation, conservative social values, and military nostalgia.

His presidency was marked by battles with the judiciary, ridicule towards COVID-19, and environmental policies that drew global condemnation. Following his defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election, Bolsonaro briefly went to the United States and then went back to Brazil—where he faced mounting legal troubles. His time in Florida was thought to allow him to delay facing possible prosecution, and returning to Brazil meant he was finally facing his political choices, at least with those choices being legality opposed to ability.

Whether Bolsonaro comes back quickly or not, it has changed his stranglehold on Brazilian politics. A figurehead that once seemed untouchable to Brazil’s far-right is now faced with health, legal, and political issues. Yet, his base’s loyalty continues to be stubborn, and in this detailed narrative of victimization of political persecution would only burnishing that base’s loyalty to him—which will keep him in the news, even from a hospital tent.