As world leaders race to congratulate Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, after he pulled off a dramatic comeback to claim a re-election victory over his right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, US President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei — both of whom had endorsed Bolsonaro — have yet to publicly acknowledge the outcome.
Lula's win was acknowledged by left and right-wing leaders alike, despite his challenger Bolsonaro refusing to accept the loss. Lula received 51.8 percent of the vote in Sunday's run-off in the South American country's election compared to 48.2 percent for Bolsonaro.
In Argentina, neither Milei, the Foreign Ministry under Pablo Quirno, nor other senior officials had issued an official statement or congratulatory message by midday on Monday.
Milei had openly backed Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, and repeatedly attacked President Lula da Silva during the campaign, calling him a "communist", "thief", "leftist thief", and other insults.
He congratulated Bolsonaro after the first round and had expressed hope they would work together.
Milei has not commented after Lula win, prompting a Brazilian official of Itamaraty (foreign ministry) to joke: "What happened? Digital blackout?
Trump's ties with Bolsonaros
In the US, neither the White House, the State Department, nor the president has offered an official congratulatory message so far.
Multiple outlets in Latin America, citing the Spanish news agency EFE, reported that Trump claimed Brazil had applied the "Joe Biden playbook", noting that Bolsonaro led in the first round and was the clear favourite for the run-off, but that "the communists do not give up power once they get it".
Trump has consistently backed former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, describing legal investigations against him as a "witch-hunt" akin to his own.
After Jair was barred from running and imprisoned, his son Flavio ran in the presidential election against Lula. In June 2026, Trump hosted Flavio at the White House, posting on Truth Social to describe him as a "smart young man who loves his Country, Brazil, very much!"
Following his first-round performance against Lula, Trump publicly hailed the result on social media as a "great victory" and "very, very big victory."
US administration also imposed tariffs linked to the elder Bolsonaro's cases on Brazil, revoking some visas, while Lula had been criticising US influence and emphasising Brazilian sovereignty.
In his recent UN address and victory speech, Lula reaffirmed that Brazil is "no one's backyard."
American progressive figures, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, praised the outcome, while several other Democratic and state officials also expressed support.
"Congratulations to Lula on his extraordinary reelection victory in the Brazilian presidential election. Lula has stood up for Brazilian workers & democracy — and will continue to do so in the next four years," Sanders posted on X.
Stage set for political and legal confrontation
While Trump has yet to react, his son Donald Trump Jr criticised the extension of voting hours, an aspect of the outcome Bolsonaro is now contesting.
"If a conservative government in Brazil did this, everyone in the mainstream press in America would lose their minds, but I guess they're just choosing to be silent because it's all for the cause," Trump’s son argued.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered Sunday's polls to remain open for two additional hours, at the request of both candidates.
Lula made the request because of issues with public transportation in metropolis Sao Paulo and northeastern city Salvador, two of his strongholds. Bolsonaro requested it after heavy rains in the south, which he won by a strong margin in the first round.
Bolsonaro, however, has claimed that Zanin, a former Lula lawyer, had changed “the rules of the game in the middle of the game."
"I do not recognise this," he told supporters after the election loss. "There is no way I can accept this outrage that was committed against Brazil. I will take legal action and I will not give up on Brazil."
Lula's victory meant Brazil did not follow Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru—all supported by US President Trump — in swinging to the right.
It also left Latin America's two most populous nations, Brazil and Mexico, under left-of-centre leadership, complicating Trump's efforts to expand US influence across the region.
Bolsonaro's remarks set the stage for a political and legal confrontation between the two rival factions in Brazil, while attention is also now on the US president.
