Fact Check: Did Trump and Flávio Bolsonaro agree to be co-presidents of Brazil?
WASHINGTON, DC: The defeat of President Donald Trump’s ally Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s presidential election led the latter to flee to the United States. Soon after, a rumor is circulating online claiming that Trump and Bolsonaro had agreed to be co-presidents of Brazil. The claim has sparked speculation and calls for a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump has agreed to be co-president of Brazil
The claim spread on X and claimed that Trump and Bolsonaro have agreed to be co-presidents of Brazil.
It further states that Trump will handle foreign policy, while Bolsonaro handles domestic policy.
The post ends by claiming that they would run Brazil from a dedicated office at Mar-a-Lago.
The post has garnered hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing, with many mocking and criticizing Donald Trump for the alleged development, indicating that they believe the claim to be true.
Meanwhile, a few others express skepticism and question the claim’s authenticity, calling for a fact-check.
Fact Check: No credible evidence to support the claim
Although Bolsonaro has fled to the US following his defeat in the Brazilian election and declared himself the rightful leader, there is no evidence of him and Trump agreeing to be the co-presidents of the South American country.
There are no official statements, announcements, press conferences, or social media posts from either of these leaders or the White House that support the claim.
If the claim were true, prominent national and international media outlets would have widely covered it, making headlines, given the sensationalism of the Brazilian election.
Moreover, the claim was posted by an X user named ‘Spencer Hakimian’ who describes himself in the bio as the ‘craziest stories on the internet,’ likely suggesting that his stories are intended as satire.
Donald Trump and allies react to Brazil election results
The claim surfaced after Bolsonaro lost the election to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. While Trump never explicitly endorsed a candidate, he did embrace Bolsonaro at times, as did the broader MAGA movement. Trump had once publicly promoted his father and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
“I didn’t take sides, I didn’t endorse anybody or anything, but I watched the election, and it looks so corrupt. So terrible,” Trump said of the election.
In the past, Lula had defied Trump on issues such as tariffs, and his victory has sparked backlash from some Trump aides, including Steve Bannon, who called on Trump and State Secretary Marco Rubio to cut off diplomatic relations with Brazil.
