US President Donald Trump has questioned the legitimacy of Brazil’s presidential election, claiming it “looked like another rigged election” after incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro. Trump made the allegation without presenting evidence of electoral fraud.
Separately, Trump announced a $1 million reward for information about alleged voter fraud in previous elections or the upcoming 2026 US midterm elections. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said the payment would be made after the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the alleged fraud.
“Anybody reporting Voter Fraud in the past Elections, or the upcoming 2026 Midterm Election, will be paid $1,000,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the Fraud!” Trump wrote.
Trump Questions Lula’s Election Victory
Trump’s remarks followed Lula’s victory over Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Flavio refused to concede defeat on Sunday and said he would seek the annulment of the result, questioning the Supreme Court’s decision to extend voting by two hours.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the election “looked very bad” and criticised the way the results were tabulated. He described the extension of voting hours as “very strange” but did not provide evidence to substantiate his allegations.
Lula defeated Flavio by more than four million votes. An analysis of electoral records by Pedro Burgos, a professor at Insper, found that fewer than 35,000 votes—approximately 0.03% of the total—were cast during the additional two hours of voting ordered by Brazil’s Supreme Court.
Trump had not publicly endorsed Flavio before the election. However, Reuters had previously reported that officials from Trump’s State Department led a campaign to help bring the Bolsonaro family back to power.
Brazil’s Vice President Rejects Trump’s Claims
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin defended the country’s electoral system, describing Trump’s comments as “totally wrong” and “unfounded” during a television interview with Rede Vanguarda.
The controversy comes amid a history of disputed election outcomes involving both Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. Neither accepted their respective defeats in the 2020 US presidential election and Brazil’s 2022 presidential election.
Jair Bolsonaro was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing to Lula.
Flavio Bolsonaro also said on Monday that he would comply with a federal police order to surrender his passports following a visit to his father, who is under house arrest. He denied intending to flee Brazil.
Markets React to Lula’s Victory
Lula’s election victory prompted congratulations from world leaders but unsettled investors who had anticipated a Bolsonaro win.
Brazil’s real fell 8.1% against the US dollar, its steepest single-day decline since 2002. The country’s stock exchange also recorded its biggest one-day fall since 2020.
Andres Abadia, chief Latin America economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the initial market sell-off could ease as investors adjusted their positions. However, he noted that investors would look for convincing fiscal commitments before increasing their exposure to Brazilian assets.
Lula Faces Legislative Challenges
Lula’s victory defied opinion polls and a broader trend of anti-incumbent sentiment, interrupting a series of right-wing electoral gains across Latin America. Although he trailed Bolsonaro in the first round, stronger-than-expected turnout and an improved social media campaign helped him secure the runoff.
During the campaign, Lula highlighted his record on poverty reduction, inequality, unemployment, illiteracy and deforestation.
However, his fourth presidential term is expected to face significant political challenges. Brazil’s Congress has shifted further to the right following conservative gains in the first round of the general election. The presence of Bolsonaro allies in the legislature could complicate Lula’s efforts to advance his policy agenda.
Trump’s comments have added an international dimension to the election dispute, even as Brazil’s vice president has rejected the allegations and the available figures cited in the report indicate that relatively few votes were cast during the extended voting period.
