Trump Mocked by Critics After Claiming He 'Doesn't Take Sides' — as Prez Calls Out Brazil's Controversial Election Results
Trump believes the Brazilian election was rigged against Flávio Bolsonaro.
Oct. 27 2026, Published 7:40 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump said that Brazil's presidential runoff election, won by incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, "looked like another rigged election," while stating that he did not take sides and that he gets along well with Lula, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Lula defeated right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro on Sunday by roughly 4.4 million votes, securing about 51.8% to Bolsonaro's 48.2%. The result gave Lula a fourth term.
Trump's Comments at Joint Base Andrews
Trump casts doubt on Brazil's recent presidential election.
Speaking to reporters before departing for a campaign rally, Trump said, "It looked like another rigged election, frankly. 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." He repeated that he "didn't take sides" and "didn't endorse anybody."
When asked whether he planned to do something about the result, Trump replied, "I'm not running Brazil, I'm running the USA. I like Lula. I get along with him very well, but the extension given was very strange."
He was referring to a Supreme Court decision that extended voting hours by two hours on Election Day.
Trump called Brazil's election rigged.
Brazilian Election and Voting Extension
Polling places in Brazil were kept open in response to weather and traffic – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was eventually named the winner.
Critics jumped to call out Trump's comments, as one person on X asked, "Is there any election he doesn’t like the result of that isn’t 'rigged' according to him?"
Another noted, "He doesn’t pick sides, but it was rigged because the guy he wanted to win didn’t," and a user said, "Trump calls every election he doesn't win rigged. Now he's doing it to Brazil."
"Trump doesn’t even know where Brazil is located," a commentator quipped.
Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered polling places to remain open until 7 p.m. to accommodate transportation delays and weather issues in some regions.
An analysis of electoral records found that fewer than 35,000 votes (about 0.03% of the total) were cast during the additional two hours.
Responses From Brazilian Officials
Brazilian authorities have not indicated any widespread fraud.
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin called Trump's remarks "totally wrong" and "unfounded" in a television interview.
Brazilian officials have defended the country's electronic voting system, which has been used for decades and is widely regarded by international observers as secure.
No widespread irregularities have been reported by Brazilian electoral authorities.
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Trump's Prior Relationship With Bolsonaro
Trump has been close with Jair Bolsonaro for years.
Trump did not formally endorse Flávio Bolsonaro during the campaign, but he has previously maintained a close relationship with Flávio's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The two leaders developed a close relationship during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, meeting in Washington in 2019, during Trump's first term.
Trump also later repeatedly defended him amid legal proceedings, telling reporters in October 2025 that he had "always liked" Jair Bolsonaro and felt "very badly" about what happened to him.
In September 2025, Brazil's Supreme Court convicted him of leading a coup plot aimed at preventing the transfer of power after the 2022 election.
