‘It looked like another rigged election’: Trump questions Brazil vote after Lula wins fourth term
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Brazil’s presidential election looked “rigged,” though he did not offer any proof. His comments came a day after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva secured a historic fourth term in a runoff election.
Lula’s victory dealt a blow to Trump’s political camp, which has backed right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro. Although Trump stopped short of formally endorsing a candidate, he had repeatedly shown support for Flavio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Trump says Brazil election looked ‘rigged’
“It looked like another rigged election, frankly,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
BREAKING: Trump on Brazilian elections: It looked terrible to me. It looked like another rigged election, frankly. I didn't take sides, but it was a terrible look. https://t.co/vRrk26lyzM
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 26, 2026
“I didn’t take sides, but it was a terrible look for the world. Elections have to be indisputable, and it looked really bad to me.”
In the same exchange, Trump declined to say whether he would take any action in response to the election.
When asked if he would “do something about the election,” the president responded, “I am not running Brazil, I’m running the USA.”
He added that “I like Lula,” but said it was a “bad look.”
Trump’s remarks echoed Flavio Bolsonaro’s objections to the election results. Flavio challenged the outcome and called for the results to be annulled, while his father, Jair Bolsonaro, had also refused to concede.
The dispute centered partly on a decision by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin to extend voting by two hours in some areas because of transportation problems late Sunday.
About 35,000 votes were cast during the additional hours, a small number compared with Lula’s four-million-vote lead. Bolsonaro’s party had also pushed for polling stations to remain open longer in certain areas.
Experts who follow Latin American elections have described Brazil's electoral system as one of the most secure in the region. Voting is compulsory for adults under 70, and polling hours can be extended when weather or transportation problems prevent voters from reaching polling stations.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! A defiant Flavio Bolsonaro just walked out and declared THE RESULTS ARE INVALID after Lula STOLE it from him — BOLSONARO IS MOVING TO ANUL THE RESULTS. "It is impossible—it is IMPOSSIBLE—to recognize the election results in the context of how these things happened. We are going to use our legal team; we are going to ask for the annulment of these elections!" "I will never know, in a state where the polling stations were not reopened, how many votes I could have received." "A Supreme Court justice, for the first time in history—Lula's former lawyer—issued a unilateral decree at the request of a former law partner of his, and changed the rules of the game in the middle of the game!" "At 5:01 PM, Justice Zanin—who is not part of the Superior Electoral Court—trampling over the specialized electoral court, made a decision extending voting by two hours. This had never happened in the history of Brazil!" Good. This needs to happen. America is with you, FLAVIO! We all saw the last-minute cheat.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 26, 2026
Trump’s relationship with Brazil remains strained
Lula’s historic fourth-term victory marked a setback for Trump and his political movement. Although Trump did not formally endorse a candidate, he had expressed support for Jair Bolsonaro, while the broader MAGA movement had also backed the Brazilian right.
Lula’s victory highlighted the limits of Trump’s influence over political developments in Latin America, where the US president has sought to encourage a shift toward right-wing leadership.
Lula has challenged Washington on issues including trade tariffs, while emphasizing Brazil’s right to determine its own political future. He has also indicated that Brazil could strengthen its relationship with China if ties with the US deteriorate further.
Relations between Washington and Brasilia have fluctuated between confrontation and attempts at reconciliation. In 2025, the Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on Brazilian goods in an effort to pressure the government over the prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who faced charges related to an alleged coup attempt following Brazil’s 2022 election.
The measures drew criticism in Brazil and risked strengthening Lula’s position among voters who viewed the tariffs as interference in the country’s domestic affairs. Business interests seeking to ease tensions also encouraged both governments to pursue dialogue.
Trump’s latest remarks added another point of tension to the relationship between the two countries, even as he indicated that he did not intend to intervene in Brazil’s election.
