Lula says Trump wants to ‘colonise’ and capture Brazil’s resources by meddling in election

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection campaign released a television ad this week accusing Donald Trump of trying to turn Brazil into a colony and plunder its natural wealth by interfering in next month’s presidential race on behalf of far-right rival Flávio Bolsonaro. The state department rejected the accusation, calling any suggestion of a scheme to undermine the vote a "baseless lie." On social media, Lula warned that a Bolsonaro win would mean surrendering the country’s resources to Washington and reducing Brazil once again to colonial status, and at the United Nations he vowed that Brazilians would not let outside forces dictate the election’s outcome, according to The Guardian.

The two candidates are running roughly even in polling ahead of the October 4 first round, with a runoff set for October 25 if neither wins a majority. Concern about U.S. pressure has grown alongside 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods, a warning from Brazilian intelligence about a "critical level" of American interference risk, reports of Big Tech involvement, and claimed ties between Bolsonaro’s campaign and Rockbridge, a donor network co-founded by Vice President JD Vance. Workers’ Party spokesperson Éden Valadares said the ad aims to alert Brazilians to the effort and announced planned nationwide demonstrations. Democratic members of Congress separately wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing the administration of destabilizing Brazilian democracy. Right-wing candidate Renan Santos also criticized Trump, saying Washington wants favorable rare-earth contracts and that he does not want Latin America becoming a U.S. protectorate.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →