Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro shared hospital footage of his recovery from bowel surgery, as he continues to deal with the aftermath of a stabbing that almost killed him.
The right-wing leader miraculously survived losing 40% of his blood after he was stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning for the presidency in 2018. He has since undergone multiple surgeries stemming from the attempted assassination.
The latest surgery, a 12-hour operation to treat a bowel obstruction that involved reconstructing part of his abdominal wall, was his most complex and invasive yet. The procedure was successful, and Bolsonaro was sent to the intensive care unit (ICU) for observation.
Bolsonaro shared videos of him moving around with help from a walker and hospital staff at DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.
- Jair Bolsonaro.
- Michelle Bolsonaro.
- DF Star - Rede D’OR.
- Brasília/DF, 15 Abr 15h30 Terça-Feira. pic.twitter.com/97zlDiEiK3— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) April 15, 2025
"This is the period in which the organs that were manipulated during the procedure lasting more than 12 hours begin to deflate, allowing us to observe the first signs of a real situation," he said.
"I remain focused on the recovery process, which from what I understand was the most invasive procedure that took place, seeking strength to get out of bed once again, after facing the sixth surgery resulting from the stabbing suffered by a former member of the PSOL, a historic ally of the PT," Bolsonaro wrote on X, tying the attack to the ruling Workers' Party.
The ex-president was still sharing updates from the hospital Tuesday, his third day in the ICU.
Bolsonaro had been planning to campaign across Brazil's northeastern region when he was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain Friday in Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte.
He was later brought to a hospital in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, and then transferred to the nation's capital Brasilia on Saturday.
A vocal support of President Trump, Bolsonaro has faced a thicket of legal troubles since narrowly losing re-election in 2022 to current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro was recently cleared of charges for faking a COVID vaccine certificate, but he is still facing trial for an alleged coup attempt, and he is legally barred from running for office until 2030.
The 70-year-old has denied any wrongdoing, saying he's the target of political persecution by his leftist rival, Lula.
