Maddow Scoffs as Trump Says He'll Meet Bolsonaro "Very Soon," Raising Questions About Arrest

Rachel Maddow reacted with incredulous laughter after President Donald Trump told reporters he had spoken with former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro "last night" and expected to meet him "in the very near future," despite Bolsonaro reportedly being rearrested while under house arrest.

The exchange occurred as Trump walked toward Marine One on Saturday. Reporters asked about Bolsonaro's arrest — which Trump initially appeared not to know about — and Trump replied that he had spoken with Bolsonaro the previous night and that they would be meeting soon. Maddow suggested that line sounded like a possible offhand admission that plans might have been underway to help Bolsonaro evade custody.

REPORTER: Do you have any comment about Bolsonaro's arrest, former Brazilian president?

DONALD TRUMP: So I spoke last night to the gentleman you just referred to, and we're going to be meeting, I believe, in the very near future.

REPORTER: Sir, are you willing — the president is arrested today?

TRUMP: What?

REPORTER: Can you comment about the former Brazilian president being arrested today?

TRUMP: No, I don't know anything about it.

REPORTER: Mr. President, are you willing — are you —

TRUMP: Is that what happened?

REPORTER: Yes, sir. Yes.

TRUMP: That's too bad.

Maddow replayed the clip and said the comment raised uncomfortable logistics and accountability questions. Bolsonaro, officials say, was rearrested early Saturday morning after allegedly attempting to tamper with an electronic ankle monitor — reportedly using a soldering iron — and planning to flee. Authorities have said the attempt to remove the monitor occurred amid chaotic demonstrations called by Bolsonaro’s supporters or family, and prosecutors say he faces a sentence totaling years in prison; some reports have cited a potential 27-year term.

Bolsonaro has said he was hallucinating and experiencing a nervous breakdown tied to a recent change in medication, an explanation he offered for the attempt to tamper with the monitor. Maddow noted that if Trump truly expected to meet Bolsonaro "in the very near future," it raises the question of how a meeting would be possible while Bolsonaro remained under electronic monitoring and subject to arrest, unless he had planned to remove the device and leave the country.

She characterized the hypothetical scenario — Bolsonaro cutting off an ankle monitor, seeking refuge at an embassy, and being transported out of Brazil — as "cinematic" and conspiratorial, but argued that Trump's offhand remark made the scenario look less implausible and warranted further scrutiny and clarification from the White House.

The segment emphasized the need for immediate answers: whether Trump had been aware of Bolsonaro’s legal status at the time of the call, whether any U.S. officials had been asked to assist, and whether the president’s comment was a misunderstanding or something more consequential. Video excerpts of the exchange were replayed during the segment to underscore how quickly the remark was made and how striking it sounded in context.

This report aims to summarize the remarks and the questions they prompted; it does not claim proof of coordination or misconduct. Further clarification from official sources would be needed to confirm any role by U.S. officials or the president in Bolsonaro's movements or plans.