Lula Tells Trump to Stay Out of Brazil’s October Presidential Election

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told U.S. President Donald Trump to stay out of Brazil’s October presidential election after Trump criticized Brazil’s judicial moves against Lula’s political rivals.

“Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned that the United States should not interfere in his country’s upcoming presidential race, which is being held in October”

Al Jazeera

Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Switzerland, Lula said, "Brazil's elections are Brazil's business," and added, "But don't interfere in Brazil's elections."

Al Jazeera

The dispute followed Trump’s description of Brazil as "a little rough" and "dangerous politically," and his remark that "nobody plays tougher than the United States."

Lula’s warning came as Brazil’s Supreme Court convicted Eduardo Bolsonaro on Tuesday, and the U.S. State Department called the conviction part of a "pattern of persecution and lawfare" by Brazilian courts.

Trump met both Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro in recent weeks, while Eduardo Bolsonaro was convicted Tuesday by Brazil's Supreme Court of seeking Trump administration interference in his father's case, an allegation he rejects.

The U.S. State Department said the conviction reflects a "pattern of persecution and lawfare" and that political disputes should be decided at the ballot box, not through criminal cases.

CGTN

Lula’s remarks also tracked the broader tensions described by the AP, including Trump’s tariffs on Brazil last year and Lula’s complaint that the arguments for imposing tariffs were not true.

In Geneva after the G7, Lula told journalists, "He can go on liking Bolsonaro — the father, the son, the grandson — that’s not my problem," and then set a condition: "But don’t interfere in Brazil’s elections, because Brazil’s elections are Brazil’s business."

The sources frame the confrontation as tied to Brazil’s sovereignty and the conduct of elections, with Lula saying Trump should not meddle in Brazil’s October race while Trump’s comments referenced detentions and convictions involving Bolsonaro family members.

Lula’s position was echoed in Al Jazeera’s account of his Geneva remarks, where he said, "Now, don’t meddle in the Brazilian elections," and linked it to a reciprocal principle that "American elections are their business, not mine."

Al Jazeera also described the election stakes as a race between Lula and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who is running as the candidate for Brazil’s far-right Liberal Party.

In the same coverage, Trump’s remarks at the G7 were quoted as he appeared to mix up Bolsonaro family members when he said, "I heard that they arrested the Bolsonaro junior, who was doing well in the polls."