Bolsonaro may need surgery again after severe abdominal pain

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro hospitalized in Brasília as 2018 stabbing complications resurface.

Physicians Luiz Fernando (left) and Fernando Carrico speak at a press conference regarding the health of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at Rio Grande Hospital in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, on April 11, 2025. Photo by Magnus Nascimento/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Jair Bolsonaro may need surgery again after suffering what he described as “unbearable” abdominal pain, forcing him to halt a public tour and be hospitalized in the northeastern city of Natal. The former president of Brazil, who has long battled lingering effects from the 2018 stabbing that nearly took his life, told his followers that this was likely the most serious flare-up since that original attack.

The 70-year-old politician was transferred to Brasília on Saturday, April 6, 2025, where doctors at the DF Star private clinic are monitoring his condition and determining whether another surgery will be required. According to Bolsonaro himself, this latest health scare stems from a complication in his small intestine—one of the many internal issues he has faced since undergoing a series of surgeries following the 2018 incident.

Speaking to supporters on social media platform X, Bolsonaro admitted, “I will probably be operated on again.” He described this recent episode as more intense than previous ones. “After experiencing so many similar episodes in the last few years, I’ve grown used to the pain,” he said. “But this time, even the doctors were surprised.”

Doctors alarmed as Bolsonaro faces the most serious setback since 2018 attack

Bolsonaro may need surgery again captures both the personal and political dimension of this moment. For Bolsonaro, this hospitalization is not just another physical setback. It comes at a time when his political fortunes are under pressure, with mounting legal troubles and a looming coup plot trial set to begin in the coming months.

Leandro Echenique, a doctor at the Brasília clinic where Bolsonaro was admitted, confirmed that his health had stabilized somewhat. “His health is stable. He is feeling less pain,” Echenique told journalists during a press briefing. “Tests have been carried out, and the results will be fundamental to deciding in the coming hours whether surgery will be necessary.”

Photos and video captured by AFP showed Bolsonaro leaving the hospital in Natal wearing a nasogastric tube, a sign that his gastrointestinal issues were still being closely monitored. As he walked to a waiting ambulance, a crowd of supporters, many wearing the iconic yellow-and-green jersey of Brazil’s national football team, cheered him on with chants of “Courage, Bolsonaro!”

A public figure shaped by violence and health battles

The stabbing at a campaign event in September 2018 nearly killed Bolsonaro, causing him to lose almost 40 percent of his blood. While the attacker was later deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, the political ramifications of the assault were immediate. Bolsonaro won the presidency just weeks later and built part of his public image on surviving that traumatic event.

However, the aftermath of the stabbing has defined much of his personal life and presidency. He has undergone several major surgeries to repair internal damage, and recurring abdominal pain has led to frequent hospital visits over the past six years. The fact that Bolsonaro may need surgery again is not unexpected, but the tone of his latest statements suggests this episode could be more serious than many of the prior ones.

“This time, it felt different,” Bolsonaro said. “It didn’t feel like work. It didn’t feel manageable. It hit hard.”

The political storm around Bolsonaro intensifies

This latest health scare adds another layer of complication to Bolsonaro’s already complex legal and political situation. He is currently barred from seeking public office until 2030 due to his efforts to undermine trust in Brazil’s electronic voting system. That judgment has been a significant blow to Bolsonaro’s ambitions of returning to power in the near future.

Still, Bolsonaro has refused to retreat entirely from public life. He continues to draw crowds during his regional tours and maintains a significant presence online. The tour that was interrupted by his health emergency was intended to rebuild political momentum, particularly among his loyal base in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte.

In addition to his electoral ineligibility, Bolsonaro is facing an even more serious legal challenge. Just two weeks ago, Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that he should stand trial on charges of attempting to plot a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The ruling marked a major escalation in Brazil’s efforts to hold the former president accountable for his role in the events following the January 8, 2023, storming of government buildings in Brasília.

The “Trump of the Tropics” remains defiant despite mounting pressure

Often compared to Donald Trump and referred to by some as the “Trump of the Tropics,” Bolsonaro has been the subject of multiple investigations and controversies throughout his career. His presidency was marked by confrontations with the judiciary, disputes over environmental policies, and criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even now, with his legal standing weakened and his health fragile, Bolsonaro remains combative. While recovering from what may require another major operation, he continues to portray himself as a victim of political persecution and an outsider battling Brazil’s institutions.

Bolsonaro's supporters continue to rally behind him, framing each setback—whether in the hospital or in the courtroom—as evidence of a broader war against their movement. “Every time they try to stop him, he comes back stronger,” one supporter in Natal told local media.

No stranger to hospitals, but the uncertainty grows

Since leaving office in January 2023, Bolsonaro has spent considerable time in hospitals both in Brazil and abroad. He was hospitalized multiple times in Florida during a self-imposed exile after his election defeat, and the intestinal complications linked to his 2018 stabbing have never fully healed.

This time, however, the possibility of another surgery has reignited concerns about his long-term health. At 70, and with a history of internal complications, each new incident raises doubts about his ability to resume any formal political role—even if his ineligibility were overturned in court.

His supporters see him as a symbol of endurance, but his critics argue that Bolsonaro’s deteriorating health is a metaphor for the decline of the populist wave that once swept through Brazilian politics.

A fragile future—health and politics intertwined

As Brazil waits to learn whether Bolsonaro will go under the knife once more, the country is again reminded of how closely his personal story is tied to the nation’s political trajectory. Bolsonaro may need surgery again, but the deeper question remains whether his body—and his political project—can withstand another crisis.

The coming days will be crucial not just for Bolsonaro’s health, but for the broader conservative movement he helped shape. The results of medical tests in Brasília will determine whether the next headline will concern surgery—or something far more definitive about the future of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazilian public life.

For now, both supporters and opponents are watching closely as the story unfolds.