Inside Bolsonaro's Florida 'exile': Ex-President lives it up at Jose Aldo's ... trends now

In the build up to Sunday's shocking assault on Brazil's government buildings by his supporters, former president Jair Bolsonaro has been living in self-imposed exile in a Florida resort while rubbing shoulders with notable ex-pats from his home country.

Bolsonaro's far-right supporters - who refuse to accept his election defeat - stormed Brazil's Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital, a week after the inauguration of his leftist rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The attack - reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of former president Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro ally - took the intervention of military police to bring calm to Brasilia's Three Powers Square.

But as his country descends into chaos, Bolsonaro has been enjoying a change of pace in Orlando where he has been spotted wandering around a vacation resort neighborhood, and was even snapped tucking in to a box of KFC.

According to reports, Bolsonaro - a far-right nationalist - has been staying at the home of Jose Aldo, a retired Brazilian professional MMA fighter and UFC champion.

The pair were pictured inside what appeared to be Aldo's Orlando home, a found a few miles from Disney World. 

The former president posed in MMA gloves, and in one photo even had Aldo jokingly in a headlock - as the pair beamed from ear to ear.

Bolsonaro, who is facing a variety of investigations at home for his time in the presidential office, arrived in Florida late December 30. Reports suggest he plans to stay in the United States for at least a month - and maybe up to three.

Since arriving, he has been filmed wandering around his temporary neighborhood soaking up the adoration of expat Brazilian supporters who flocked to the house where he is staying, and even staged a mini rally in support.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, more than 50 well-wishers - some draped in the yellow and green flags of Brazil - gathered outside the residence.

For 30 minutes, Bolsonaro posed for photos with his supporters, and even wore a USA soccer jersey, as they gathered on the driveway of what was reported to be Jose Aldo's home.

He also also been filmed inside a local Publix grocery store, with one shopper filming the formal president perusing the aisles before he realized he was on camera. When he did notice the camera, he flashed a slightly awkward thumbs up.

Bolsonaro was also filmed meeting expat turned Florida realtor Cristiano Piquet, a paraglider who made an emergency landing after spotting a struggling and terrified woman clinging to submerged her car in a canal. Piquet alerted a local resident of the woman's struggle, and they were able to pull her out of the water.

Piquet is also the owner of Piquet Realty, a real estate company based in Miami, Florida, and spends his time doing paragliding, skydiving, boating, and more.

Meanwhile, it was reported on Monday that Brasilia Gov. Ibaneis Rocha had fired Anderson Torres, the security secretary of the federal district. He was in charge of ensuring the safety of the area at the time of Sunday's attack on the government.

The Bolsonaro ally was in Florida at the time of the announcement, according to the BBC and Brazilian newspaper Estadao. 

The timing of Bolsonaro's arrival to Florida raised eyebrows on account of it meaning that he missed the inauguration of his successor Lula on January 1 - breaking with tradition that calls for a symbolic peaceful transfer of power.

Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting Lula's electoral win since October 30, blocking roads, setting vehicles on fire and gathering outside military buildings, urging the armed forces to intervene. 

The head of Brazil's electoral authority rejected the request from Bolsonaro and his political party to nullify ballots cast on most electronic voting machines.

Now, US president Joe Biden is facing mounting calls to remove

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