Brazil’s presidential race has intensified amid allegations that the United States is seeking to influence the outcome in favor of far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign has accused the Trump administration of attempting to "colonise" Brazil by controlling its natural resources through election interference.
The accusations surfaced in a campaign advertisement released last week on social media and broadcast on television, which warned Brazilian voters that the U.S. government aimed to “take our riches, steal our future and leave us in the dust.” The ad portrays Flávio Bolsonaro as the preferred candidate of former U.S. President Donald Trump, framing the election as a struggle against outside interference in Brazil’s sovereignty ahead of the 2 October first-round vote.
In response, the U.S. State Department denied the allegations in a statement issued last month, calling them “baseless lies” and rejecting any suggestion of a scheme to undermine Brazil’s democratic processes. Despite this, concerns about U.S. intentions have grown amid reports of economic and diplomatic pressure, including the imposition of a 25% tariff on certain Brazilian imports.
Lula, currently leading in polls alongside Bolsonaro, has publicly condemned what he terms external attempts to destabilize Brazil’s democracy. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last week, he emphasized that “Brazilian democracy belongs to the Brazilians” and vowed to resist interference from any source. On social media, Lula accused Bolsonaro of seeking to “hand our natural resources over to the United States” and suggested that such a policy would effectively reduce Brazil to a colonial status.
The campaign ad also referenced a confidential alert from Brazil’s intelligence agency warning of a “critical level” of risk related to U.S. interference. It highlighted reports about the involvement of American technology companies and alleged financial links between Bolsonaro’s campaign and the conservative donor network Rockbridge, co-founded by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Éden Valadares, communications secretary for Lula’s Workers’ Party, described the advertisement as an effort to raise awareness among Brazilians about what he called a politically motivated U.S. campaign. He indicated that Lula’s team intends to mobilize public resistance and organize nationwide events to respond to perceived interference.
Concerns over U.S. actions extend beyond the left. Renan Santos, another right-wing presidential candidate, expressed opposition to what he described as Washington’s attempt to turn Brazil into a “vassal state,” citing the strategic interest in securing contracts for rare earth minerals. Santos referenced the U.S. invasion of Venezuela earlier this year as a cautionary example and warned against Latin America becoming a “protectorate” of the United States.
Adding to the controversy, a group of Democratic members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the Trump administration’s approach. They accused Washington of engaging in a “sustained, multifaceted campaign of interference and destabilization” that threatens to damage Brazil’s democratic institutions and binational relations. The lawmakers sought assurances that the U.S. would respect Brazil’s electoral process and requested a formal response by 1 October. As of late last week, no reply had been issued by the State Department.
If no candidate achieves an outright majority in the first round, a runoff is scheduled for 29 October, intensifying scrutiny on international influences in what is shaping up to be a closely contested election.