Lula campaign targets Flávio Bolsonaro’s ties to Trump ahead of Brazil election
Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro remain close in polls ahead of the 4 October vote, as the campaign debates U.S. influence and Brazil’s sovereignty.
Brasília, Brazil. President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva’s re-election campaign has accused rival Flávio Bolsonaro of being U.S. President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate ahead of Brazil’s 4 October presidential election. Polls have placed the two candidates within one or two percentage points of each other for months.
Campaign focuses on sovereignty
A campaign video claims Trump wants to “colonise Brazil, take our riches, steal our future and leave us in the dust”. Lula has also written on X that Flávio Bolsonaro would “hand our natural resources over to the United States” and warned that Brazil could “become a colony again”.
Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was jailed over an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election. Trump has called the Brazilian Supreme Court’s treatment of Jair Bolsonaro a “witch-hunt” and imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil. The former president’s actions after his defeat have drawn comparisons with Trump’s conduct following the 2020 U.S. election.
A second round of voting is scheduled for 25 October. Three other candidates are contesting the first round, but the close polling between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro leaves the outcome uncertain.
Economy and political divisions
Inflation and unemployment are low, and Brazil’s economy is growing faster than those of most other G20 countries. The failure of a major bank last year has prompted a continuing corruption scandal, while the murder rate remains high.
Political information also circulates through alternative news sites, YouTube channels, social media influencers, Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups and bots. Divided audiences may make it difficult for either campaign to change voters’ views.
Views of the military dictatorship
Jair Bolsonaro served as an army officer during Brazil’s 1964–1985 military dictatorship and has praised its torturers, saying: “The dictatorship’s mistake was to torture but not kill.” Flávio Bolsonaro has said that under the regime “there was security, there was quality health and education, there was respect”.
That portrayal is disputed by critics who point to the dictatorship’s repression, falsehoods and state-sanctioned looting.
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