Lula warns Trump against interfering in Brazil’s election
Brazil’s president said the October vote is a Brazilian matter after Trump defended the Bolsonaro family and criticized the country’s politics.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told US President Donald Trump not to interfere in Brazil’s October presidential election after both leaders attended the G7 summit in France. The comments underscored rising tension over Trump’s support for former President Jair Bolsonaro and his family.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Lula said Trump was free to maintain ties with the Bolsonaro family, including Jair Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2023. Lula said that personal preference was Trump’s affair, but drew a line at the election.
“Don’t meddle in the Brazilian elections,” Lula said, adding that Brazil’s vote was for Brazilians to decide, just as US elections were for Americans. Lula said he wanted Brazil to receive the same respect he gives the United States.
Brazil heads toward an October vote
Lula, 80, is seeking another term and is considered a leading contender, according to Al Jazeera. If he wins, it would be his fourth term as Brazil’s president; he previously served from 2003 to 2011 and returned to office after the 2022 election.
His main rival is Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, who is running for the far-right Liberal Party. Jair Bolsonaro is not the candidate after a series of legal defeats tied to the aftermath of his 2022 election loss.
Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Jair Bolsonaro in September to 27 years in prison after finding him guilty of plotting an alleged coup and seeking to undermine Brazil’s democracy, according to Al Jazeera. Trump had publicly criticized the case, calling it a “witch hunt” in a letter posted last year and saying the trial should not have happened.
Trump later imposed tariffs on some Brazilian goods and sanctions on members of Brazil’s justice system, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, according to Al Jazeera. Those steps fueled questions in Brazil over whether the United States had crossed into improper pressure on the country’s institutions.
Trump defends Bolsonaro family
The Bolsonaro family’s legal problems continued this week when Eduardo Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s third son, was sentenced to four years in prison. Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that his lobbying of the Trump administration over his father’s case amounted to coercion, according to Al Jazeera. Eduardo Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing and called the case a conflict of interest for Brazil’s courts.
At the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, Trump appeared to refer to Eduardo Bolsonaro’s sentence while seemingly confusing him with Flavio Bolsonaro, the presidential candidate. Trump said he had heard that “Bolsonaro junior” had been arrested while doing well in the polls.
Trump also described Brazil as politically “rough” and “dangerous” for right-wing views. He then compared the country’s elections with the United States, saying US elections were “totally rigged.”
Lula rejected criticism of Brazil’s electronic voting system during his separate news conference. He called paper ballots outdated and said he could show Trump how Brazil’s voting machines work.
Lula also questioned how much Trump knows about Brazil. If Trump’s view of the country comes only through the Bolsonaro family, Lula said, then the US president does not know Brazil well.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.