Trump Calls Brazil Vote ‘Rigged’ as Lula Wins Again
US President Donald Trump has called Brazil’s presidential election “rigged” after left-wing incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro in Sunday’s runoff, even as Bolsonaro’s own Liberal Party acknowledged Lula’s victory.
Trump told reporters in Iowa on Monday that the vote “looked terrible” and “looked like another rigged election”, while insisting he had not taken sides and would not intervene in Brazil’s affairs. He offered no evidence for the claim, and Brazil’s electoral court has confirmed Lula’s win after all votes were counted.
Liberal Party accepts the result
Flavio Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party said in a statement signed by party chief Valdemar Costa Neto that it acknowledged the result as proclaimed by the Superior Electoral Court, while asking for clarification on the impact of social benefits approved by Lula during the campaign.
Flavio Bolsonaro himself has not formally conceded defeat. He has dropped his demand for the election to be annulled, but says he will ask the courts to invalidate Lula’s candidacy over alleged economic and political “abuse of power” linked to a two-hour nationwide extension of voting on Sunday.
Why voting was extended
Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered polling stations to stay open for two extra hours after Lula’s campaign reported bus shortages in at least nine states. Bolsonaro’s campaign had also sought more time, citing heavy rain in southern Brazil.
Fewer than 35,000 votes, about 0.03 percent of the total, were cast in the extra two hours, according to an analysis of electoral records cited in reporting on the dispute — far below Lula’s winning margin.
Lula’s fourth term
Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, won about 51.8 percent of the vote, beating Flavio Bolsonaro by nearly 4.4 million votes and securing an unprecedented fourth term as president. He is due to begin the new term on January 5, 2027.
Lula had trailed in the first round before galvanising left-wing supporters on the streets and on social media to close the gap. His rival is the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who is under house arrest.
Trump: “I like Lula” but the count looked bad
Trump said he gets along well with Lula personally, but criticised the way the vote was tabulated. “I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election, frankly. It looked very bad to me,” he said, adding: “I’m not running Brazil, I’m running the USA.”
In a video statement on Monday, Flavio Bolsonaro disclosed that federal police had ordered him to surrender his passports after a visit to his father, adding: “I am now prohibited from leaving the country.” He denied he was planning to flee Brazil.
Related reading on this site: Trump’s $1m voter-fraud reward offer and Lula’s runoff victory.
Source credit: Reuters reporting via The Jerusalem Post and Mathrubhumi English, October 27, 2026.