Rio de Janeiro — Democrats Say Trump Team Meddled in Brazil Vote

Thirty-one Democratic members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing the Trump administration of an “apparent effort to interfere with, and potentially undermine” Brazil's presidential election, according to The Guardian.

The letter arrives roughly a week before Brazil's first-round vote on October 4. Polls cited by the Guardian show a technical tie between incumbent leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

Who signed the letter?

Thirty members of the House of Representatives and Senator Bernie Sanders signed the document, the Guardian reported. It was addressed directly to Rubio and lists specific U.S. government measures the lawmakers say amount to interference on behalf of Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

What actions do the lawmakers cite?

The letter describes a "sustained, multifaceted campaign of interference and destabilization in Brazil" by U.S. officials under President Trump, according to the Guardian's account. The lawmakers point to tariffs Trump imposed on Brazil last year, noting that Trump himself said one reason for the tariffs was the criminal trial of Jair Bolsonaro over his attempt to stage a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. Bolsonaro was convicted and is barred from running for office as a result, the Guardian reported.

The letter does not appear, based on the Guardian's reporting, to include a dollar figure or full itemized list of every U.S. action beyond the tariffs and the coup-trial commentary. Rubio's office had not issued a public response as of the Guardian's report.

Is this part of a wider pattern, according to Democrats?

The lawmakers argue the Brazil letter reflects "a broader and deeply troubling pattern of interference by the Trump administration in recent electoral processes across Latin America," the Guardian reported. They cited Argentina's recent midterm elections and presidential elections in Honduras and Colombia as other examples.

This is not the first such letter. In July, 11 Democratic members of Congress sent a similar letter arguing Trump was trying to tilt Colombia's election toward far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire and former lawyer, according to the Guardian. De la Espriella went on to win the second round of that election, the Guardian reported.

What does Brazil's presidential race look like right now?

Lula, the incumbent, has been campaigning actively. The Guardian's report includes a photograph of Lula at a rally in São Gonçalo on September 24. Separately, the Guardian has reported that Lula announced higher welfare payments and free weight-loss injections ahead of the election, part of a broader push by his government heading into the vote.

Flávio Bolsonaro, the far-right senator and son of the convicted former president, is Lula's chief rival heading into the October 4 first round. The Guardian describes the race as a technical tie in current polling, though the story does not include specific poll numbers or a named polling firm.

What has the Trump administration said in response?

The Guardian's report, published Thursday, does not include a statement from Rubio, the State Department, or the White House responding to the lawmakers' letter. HTT News could not independently verify a response as of publication.

What to watch

• Whether Secretary of State Rubio or the State Department issues a formal response to the September 24 letter.
• Brazil's first-round presidential vote on October 4, and whether Lula or Flávio Bolsonaro clears the threshold to avoid a runoff.
• Any further congressional letters or hearings addressing U.S. conduct toward elections in Argentina, Honduras, or Colombia, which Democrats cited as part of the same pattern.
• Statements from Jair Bolsonaro's camp or Brazilian election authorities regarding U.S. tariff policy and its stated connection to the former president's coup trial.

The letter does not call for specific sanctions or legislative action beyond raising the concerns directly with Rubio, based on the Guardian's account. It is the second such letter Democratic lawmakers have sent this year regarding U.S. conduct toward Latin American elections, following July's letter on Colombia.