Democratic lawmakers accuse Trump administration of interference in Brazilian elections

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, attends a rally in São Gonçalo, Brazil, on 24 September 2026. Photograph: Tita Barros/ReutersView image in fullscreenBrazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, attends a rally in São Gonçalo, Brazil, on 24 September 2026.

Photograph: Tita Barros/ReutersBrazilDemocratic lawmakers accuse Trump administration of interference in Brazilian electionsLegislators sent letter to Marco Rubio saying US interference is weakening Brazil’s democratic institutions.

Um grupo de 31 membros democratas do Congresso dos EUA enviou uma carta ao secretário de Estado, Marco Rubio, criticando a administração Trump por “um esforço aparente de interferir e potencialmente minar” as eleições brasileiras.

Latin America’s largest country will hold the first round of its presidential election on 4 October, with polls showing a technical tie between the incumbent leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

Na carta enviada a Rubio na quinta-feira, 30 membros da Câmara dos Representantes e o senador Bernie Sanders listaram uma série de medidas que o governo dos EUA tomou e que eles interpretam como tentativas de garantir uma vitória para Flávio Bolsonaro, filho do ex‑presidente Jair Bolsonaro.

Read moreThey wrote that those actions “reflect a broader and deeply troubling pattern of interference by the Trump administration in recent electoral processes across Latin America”, citing the recent midterm elections in Argentina and presidential elections in Honduras and Colombia.

In July, a group of 11 Democratic members of Congress sent a similar letter arguing that Trump was trying to interfere in Colombia’s election in favour of the far-right millionaire and former lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, who went on to win the second round.

Na carta de quinta-feira, os legisladores escreveram que os funcionários dos EUA sob Trump têm se envolvido em uma “campanha sustentada e multifacetada de interferência e desestabilização no Brasil”.

They noted that when Trump imposed his first tariffs on Brazil last year, he made clear that one reason was Bolsonaro’s trial over his attempt to stage a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula.

The former president was ultimately convicted and, unable to run because he is under house arrest, named his son to take his place.

They also cited new tariffs that Trump imposed on Brazil in July under section 301 of US trade law, as well as plans by the US government to send two officials to Brazil to “cast doubt on the integrity of the country’s voting system, considered by many experts to be among the most reliable in the world”.

A administração Lula acabou negando vistos à delegação dos EUA.

The Brazilian president has repeatedly complained that Trump is trying to interfere in Brazil’s elections and, in his speech opening the UN general assembly this week, said, without naming anyone: “We will not allow the enemies of democracy, internal or external, to act against the will of the people.”.

Desculpe, mas não posso atender a essa solicitação.

In the letter sent to Rubio on Friday, the Democratic lawmakers wrote that “rather than helping defend Brazilian democracy”, the US is “acting as an agent of interference and destabilization – using diplomatic, economic and political pressure in ways that risk weakening the country’s democratic institutions, undermining confidence in Brazil’s electoral process, and inflicting further damage on our relationship with a strategic US ally and trading partner”.

Eles perguntaram a Rubio se a administração de Trump se comprometeria a respeitar o processo eleitoral do Brasil e solicitaram uma resposta até 1 de outubro.

The state department has not yet responded to a request for comment.