Trump Questions Lula’s Victory in Brazil, Claims Election Was «Fraudulent»

• Trump questioned Brazil presidential election results.
• Lula secured a fourth presidential term.
• Flávio Bolsonaro announced plans to seek the election’s annulment.

Donald Trump questioned Lula’s victory in Brazil, calling the presidential election «fraudulent» after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Flávio Bolsonaro. According to EFE, the U.S. president challenged the results on Monday, October 26, despite saying he maintains a good relationship with Lula.

«It looks terrible. I thought it was terrible. I mean, I didn’t take sides, but it seemed like another fraudulent election,» Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to Mississippi.

Trump was scheduled to attend a campaign rally. His comments came one day after Brazil’s presidential runoff election, which secured Lula a fourth term in office.

Trump Questions Lula’s Victory: Says He Didn’t Back Either Candidate

The Republican insisted that he had not formally endorsed either candidate but again questioned the election’s legitimacy. «I saw the election, and it seemed very, very corrupt,» he said, without presenting evidence of fraud.

Asked whether he intended to take action, Trump responded, «Well, I don’t govern Brazil, I govern the United States. I like Lula, we get along well, but I think the election looked very bad.»

EFE recalled that Trump had also made unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud following his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

This time, Trump’s remarks combined criticism of Brazil’s electoral process with an acknowledgment of his positive personal relationship with Lula. The U.S. president did not announce any specific measures in response to reporters’ questions.

Trump Questions Lula’s Victory: Lula Won with 52% of the Vote

Lula won Sunday’s presidential runoff with approximately 52% of the vote, compared with 48% for Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

In absolute terms, Lula received approximately 64.2 million votes, while Bolsonaro secured 59.8 million. The margin between the candidates was around 4.4 million votes, according to figures reported by EFE.

The result reversed the outcome of the first round on October 4, when Flávio Bolsonaro finished ahead of Lula. The runoff victory secured Lula’s continuation as Brazil’s president.

Flávio Bolsonaro Will Seek Election Annulment

Following the announcement of the election results, Flávio Bolsonaro refused to recognize Lula’s victory and announced plans to seek the «annulment» of the presidential election through the courts.

His challenge centers on a decision by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin to extend voting hours by two hours, until 7:00 p.m. local time.

Both Bolsonaro’s planned legal challenge and Trump’s statements raise questions about the electoral process. However, the information reported by EFE does not identify any court ruling invalidating the election results.

Trump’s Ties to the Bolsonaro Family

Although Trump did not publicly endorse Flávio Bolsonaro, he welcomed him to the Oval Office in May. EFE described the meeting as an unusual gesture toward a foreign senator.

The news agency also noted that Lula’s victory represents a setback for Washington’s efforts to expand its regional influence through right-wing governments aligned with the Republican administration’s agenda.

Last year, Trump imposed steep tariffs on Brazil in response to legal proceedings against Jair Bolsonaro, a political ally during his first presidential term. The former Brazilian president was convicted of attempting a coup.