The Downfall of Jair Bolsonaro: From Brazilian President to Prisoner in a Failed Coup Case

Bolsonaro adamantly proclaims his innocence, asserting he is merely a target of political persecution.

Jair Bolsonaro consistently vowed he would never see the inside of a prison cell.

This characteristic defiance collapsed as the individual who ascended from controversial provocateur to president and transformed Brazilian politics commenced serving a 27-year sentence for an unsuccessful coup attempt.

Bolsonaro, formerly an army captain, once galvanized supporters with his unfiltered approach, while simultaneously drawing criticism for statements disparaging homosexuals, belittling women, and glorifying Brazil's dictatorial period.

At 70 years old, he presented a considerably more restrained demeanor as his sentence began, with his family expressing concerns about his "extremely fragile" psychological and physical condition.

Just prior to this, Bolsonaro claimed a medication-induced episode of paranoia drove him to attempt cutting his ankle monitoring device with a soldering iron while under house arrest.

The Supreme Court interpreted this as an effort to evade his impending imprisonment.

Bolsonaro received his conviction in September regarding a conspiracy to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming power following his 2022 reelection defeat.

Judges determined that the plot—which included plans to assassinate Lula—only failed because it lacked sufficient support from military leadership.

Bolsonaro steadfastly maintains his innocence, claiming he is a victim of political persecution.

During his 2022 reelection campaign, Bolsonaro stated there were three potential outcomes for his future: "Prison, death or victory."

The prison scenario, however, "does not exist," he declared.

"By God who is in heaven, I will never be imprisoned," he asserted that same year.

Bolsonaro has, nonetheless, avoided a conventional prison cell and will serve his sentence in a specialized room at police headquarters equipped with television, compact refrigerator, and air conditioning.

Bibles, bullets and beef

Bolsonaro was a longtime congressman when he successfully capitalized on a pivotal political moment in Brazil's 2018 elections: widespread disgust regarding numerous corruption scandals that had enveloped leftist administrations.

His tirades against the "rotten" left and inflammatory remarks about homosexuality and women's roles earned him support from Brazil's influential "Bibles, bullets and beef" constituency—evangelical Christians, security hardliners, and the agribusiness sector.

Bolsonaro, who held office from 2019-2022, was frequently likened to his ally US President Donald Trump, who described the trial as a "witch hunt" and penalized Brazil with sanctions and trade tariffs.

However, Bolsonaro's influence with Trump diminished in recent months as Lula established closer relations with the US leader, who agreed to eliminate certain tariffs.

In 2018, Bolsonaro survived a knife attack while campaigning that resulted in severe abdominal injuries that continue to affect him.

He also suffers from "uncontrollable hiccups" that have caused breathing difficulties and fainting, according to his physicians.

His legal representatives warn imprisonment poses a threat to his life.

Amazon fires and Covid denial

Born in 1955 to a Catholic family with Italian heritage, Bolsonaro served in the military before embarking on his political career in the late 1980s as a Rio de Janeiro city councilor.

In 1991, he won election to Congress.

He quickly became notorious for his inflammatory statements expressing support for dictatorship and defending torture.

In 2011, he told Playboy magazine he would prefer his sons die in an accident rather than identify as gay.

Three years later, he declared a left-wing lawmaker was "not worth raping" because she was "too ugly."

Bolsonaro attracted international condemnation as fires and deforestation in the Amazon rainforest intensified under his leadership and as he weakened environmental agencies.

When Covid-19 emerged, he minimized it as a "little flu" and expressed vaccine skepticism—joking recipients might "turn into a crocodile"—while promoting unverified treatments.

Twice divorced, Bolsonaro married his current wife Michelle, a devout Evangelical Christian 27 years his junior, in 2007.

He reversed a vasectomy to have a child with Michelle and once characterized fathering his daughter Laura as a "moment of weakness" after having produced four sons in previous marriages.

Three of his sons have entered politics.