Lula Accuses U.S. of Interfering in Brazil Vote — SkimNews
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- Lula's Workers' Party filed petitions with Brazil's STF and TSE on September 23, 2026, seeking investigation into alleged U.S. interference in the October 4 election, where Lula holds a 5-point first-round lead over Flávio Bolsonaro.
- Trump's "Shield of the Americas" pact — signed the same day by 14 right-wing Latin American governments — designated 24 drug-trafficking groups as "shared threats," including Brazil's PCC and Red Command; Lula rejected "outsourcing" Brazil's security at the UN.
- Lula declared at the UN "Brazil does not fit in anyone's backyard," refused to meet Trump in New York, and instead met with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Senator Bernie Sanders.
- Brazil's Abin intelligence agency sent a confidential report raising U.S. interference risk to "critical level," citing Washington's goal of "reaffirmation of U.S. hegemony" in Latin America to counter China's influence over strategic assets.
- Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign faces allegations of U.S. funding through RockBridge Network — founded in 2019 by J.D. Vance and Chris Buskirk and funded by Peter Thiel — while Meta temporarily disabled Lula's campaign ads days before the first round, restoring them only after appeal.
- 31 Democratic U.S. Congress members, including Senator Sanders, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticizing the Trump administration's "broader pattern of interference" in Latin American elections including Honduras, Colombia, and Argentina.
Why it matters: With Brazil's October 4 vote just days away and an October 25 runoff possible, the dispute turns a routine election into a sovereignty flashpoint. A Flávio win would align Brazil's critical minerals policy with Trump's bloc, handing Washington leverage over resources it seeks to deny China — though Lula currently leads by 5 points.
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