Skip to contentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.Join todayAlready a member? Log inBrittney DonovanMonday 26 October 2026 20:58 GMTBolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had promised to cozy up to the Trump administration (AP)President Donald Trump has claimed without providing evidence that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection was "rigged” and questioned the tabulation of the vote following Lula's victory over Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro.Lula secured his fourth non-consecutive term by winning more than 64 million votes compared to Bolsonaro's nearly 60 million, making it the first time since 1989 that a Brazilian candidate came from behind in the first round to win the runoff.On Sunday, Flávio Bolsonaro announced plans to seek an annulment of the election results following a chaotic last-minute voting extension, though major Brazilian power brokers and electoral authorities have already recognized Lula's win.“Elections have to be indisputable and it looked very bad to me,” Trump told reporters on Monday before flying to Mississippi for a rally. He added, “I thought it had a very bad look, the way it was tabulated. ... It looked like another rigged election, frankly.”A turnaround in Lula’s campaign was powered by an aggressive digital strategy led by lawmaker André Janones, whose WhatsApp operation mobilized millions of previously uncommitted and non-voters for the runoff.In fullTrump calls Lula's election win in Brazil 'rigged' after his ally refused to concedeMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in