Brazil's former president Bolsonaro discharged after second abdominal surgery

Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from the hospital in Brasília on Sunday, three weeks after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery that left him under close medical care for several days.

Although the former Brazilian president hopes to return to power in the next elections, his doctors have advised him to avoid crowds and public events.

The 70-year-old leader of Brazil’s right wing, who is currently politically disqualified and awaiting trial over an alleged coup plot, underwent surgery on April 13 to treat an intestinal obstruction — a complication stemming from the stab wound he suffered during a 2018 campaign rally.

In the footage, Bolsonaro was seen walking out of DF Star, a private clinic in Brasília, where he was greeted by a chorus of supporters chanting “Myth.”

He returns home "renewed," he said

“Thank you, my God, for this miracle,” the former president wrote hours earlier on the social network X. He expressed gratitude to the doctors and said he was returning home “renewed.”

Standing beside him at the hospital entrance, doctors highlighted Bolsonaro’s strong recovery following the 12-hour surgery.

The former president was admitted to the hospital on April 11 after experiencing severe abdominal pain during a political tour of northeastern Brazil, a stronghold of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The discomfort stemmed from injuries sustained in a knife attack during his previous presidential campaign. After surgery, he spent 17 days in intensive care, undergoing physiotherapy and receiving most of his nutrition through a feeding tube.

Bolsonaro's pending case

In late March, Brazil's Supreme Court decided to prosecute Bolsonaro for an alleged coup attempt at the end of his term (2019-2022). The prosecution, led by the current government, accuses him of orchestrating a plot to prevent Lula's inauguration following the 2022 elections.

The trial will mark the first time in decades that a former Brazilian president is accused of attempting a coup. If found guilty, Bolsonaro could face up to 40 years in prison.

Discharge and Trump officials

Bolsonaro was discharged from the hospital a day before the arrival in Brasília of David Gamble, Donald Trump's sanctions coordinator and an ally of the Brazilian leader.

According to his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a federal deputy who is temporarily based in the U.S., Gamble will meet with allied parliamentarians to discuss Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court judge—who is closely aligned with Lula and overseeing the coup case— and a declared enemy of Bolsonarism.

However, a statement from the U.S. embassy clarified that Gamble will meet with Lula's government to discuss transnational crime and Washington's sanctions program targeting terrorism and drug trafficking.