At the same time, he will try to defend himself against accusations that he sparked violent anti-election protests last month, he says in an interview with the newspaper.

Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before Lula was sworn in on Jan. 1 and later applied for a six-month tourist visa to continue his stay in the United States.

Didn't want to recognize the new president

Lula narrowly won the Brazilian presidency in a vote in October, but many of Bolsonaro's supporters refused to accept the result, culminating in an attack on government buildings in Brasilia on January 8.

Bolsonaro himself did not publicly acknowledge the election results until December 30.