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Trump criticised the way the vote was conducted after Lula defeated right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of him.
US President Donald Trump (L) talks to Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP file photo)
US President Donald Trump on Monday questioned the outcome of Brazil’s presidential election, calling the victory of left-wing leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a result that “looked like another rigged election”, without providing evidence to support his claim.
Speaking to reporters, Trump criticised the way the vote was conducted after Lula defeated right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of the US president.
“I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election, frankly,” Trump said. “Elections have to be indisputable, and it looked very bad to me.”
Lula secured 51.8% of the vote against Flavio Bolsonaro’s 48.2%. The defeated candidate has refused to accept the result and said he would seek to have the election annulled.
Trump Questions Voting Extension
Trump also criticised the decision to extend voting hours by two hours on Sunday. The move was made at Lula’s request following transport problems in some cities, although Bolsonaro has argued that it benefited the incumbent.
“I just thought it was a very bad look, the way it was tabulated — with the extension,” Trump said.
However, the US president stopped short of saying whether his administration would take any action over the result.
“I’m not running for Brazil, I’m running for the USA,” he said, while adding that he had a good relationship with Lula.
Trump has previously disputed his own defeat in the 2020 US presidential election and questioned the integrity of elections. His latest remarks come ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3, in which Republicans face the possibility of losing control of Congress.
Flavio Bolsonaro Vows To Challenge Result
Flavio Bolsonaro said on Monday that a Supreme Court justice had ordered him to surrender his passports and barred him from leaving Brazil.
In a video posted on Instagram, he called the move as “a clear attempt to intimidate me”. He denied saying he would leave Brazil if he lost the election.
The senator is under investigation over alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the financing of a film about his father. He denies wrongdoing.
Bolsonaro has vowed to organise the opposition to Lula’s government and challenge the election result, maintaining that the extension of voting hours was unfair.
Trump Highlights Right-Wing Gains
Trump’s criticism comes as his administration has welcomed a series of electoral gains by conservative leaders across Latin America.
“It’s all right now,” Trump said last week, referring to what he called as a shift towards the right across South America. He added that every candidate he had endorsed had won.
Despite his support for the Bolsonaro family, Trump has also spoken positively about Lula, saying the two leaders had “excellent chemistry” despite tensions over trade.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Ask News18US President Donald Trump questioned the outcome of Brazil’s presidential election, calling the victory of left-wing leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a result that looked like a rigged election without providing any evidence. Trump criticized the way the vote was conducted, specifically pointing to a two-hour voting extension, and remarked that the election looked terrible and corrupt.
Ask News18United States of America (USA)
October 27, 2026, 02:57 IST
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