‘Argentina’s Trump’ Milei to Back Bolsonaro’s Eldest Son in Brazil’s Tight Presidential Race?

[Financial News] With Brazil’s presidential election set for October, the contest between the left and right is shaping up to be extremely close. Even leaders of neighboring countries are joining the political sparring. While polls show a tight race between left-wing candidate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing candidate Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, right-wing Argentine President Javier Milei has again called Lula a “criminal” and a “thief.”
According to a Nexus-BTG Pactual poll released on the 3rd local time, Lula led Bolsonaro by 1 percentage point in a hypothetical runoff, with 46% support to Bolsonaro’s 45%.
In a survey released on the 27th of last month, Lula had 47% support, while Bolsonaro had 43%. In just one week, Lula’s support fell by 1 percentage point, while Bolsonaro’s rose by 2 points, narrowing the gap from 4 points to 1.
Against this backdrop, Milei, dubbed “Argentina’s Trump,” reignited his verbal clash with Lula by calling him a “thief.”
According to AFP the previous day, Milei said in an interview with Argentine media outlet LN+ that Lula was “a thief and a corrupt politician, and since he was convicted and imprisoned on theft and corruption charges, it is fair to call him a criminal.” He added, “Calling a thief a ‘thief’ is far less serious than theft itself.”
Milei went on to stress again, “Lula was released because of a procedural error. He was not released because he was innocent. Therefore, he is a thief and a corrupt official.”
Earlier, on the 25th of last month, Milei also attended the Liberal Party convention in São Paulo and backed Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is notorious as “Brazil’s Trump,” while lashing out at Lula in harsh terms.
Lula was first elected president in 2002, won reelection, and served two consecutive terms from 2003 to 2010. He was later convicted on corruption charges and spent 580 days in prison starting in April 2018. However, the conviction was annulled due to procedural flaws, and he ran for president again before being sworn in as Brazil’s first three-term president in 2023.
Lula, who is seeking a fourth term in October’s election, has pledged to expand defense investment and protect Brazil’s rare earth resources.
His rival, Senator Bolsonaro, has promised tax cuts, a tougher response to crime, and the continuation of his father’s political legacy. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving house arrest after receiving a final 27-year sentence for plotting a coup following his election defeat. U.S. President Donald Trump has denounced the case as political persecution and criticized Lula’s government.

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