Donald Trump described the electoral system of the United States as "corrupt" on Monday, comparing it to the speed with which Brazil published the results of its first presidential round, held on Sunday with over 125 million voters.
The American president posted the message on his Truth Social network, noting that the Brazilian results were known on the same day the polls closed. "In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and many other cities and states in the United States, the results —with much lower numbers— often take weeks to be manipulated... I mean, calculated," he wrote.
The publication, however, encountered an initial setback: in its original version, Trump confused Brazil with India, attributing the Brazilian elections to that Asian country. The mistake was corrected hours later, but it had already been widely ridiculed in media outlets in India, Brazil, and the United States, given that India did not hold any presidential elections that day and, moreover, its head of state is not elected by direct popular vote.
Once the text was corrected, Trump concluded his post with a striking statement: "Voting in America is CORRUPT!"
The contrast that Trump chose is not accidental. Brazil has been using an electronic ballot system managed by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) since the 1990s, which transmits the results digitally and automatically once the polls close, allowing for definitive data to be published within a few hours. In contrast, in the United States, each state sets its own counting regulations, leading to significant differences in the timing of results publication.
In key states such as Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, or North Carolina, results are typically known with a high level of scrutiny within about 24 hours, while in others, the total count may extend for weeks, especially if the margins are narrow or recounts are requested.
Trump's statements are not new. Since the 2020 election, which was won by the Democrat Joe Biden, the president has claimed without evidence that there was massive fraud. These accusations have been rejected by dozens of courts and state auditors, and they preceded the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Regarding the Brazilian elections that prompted the comment, Flávio Bolsonaro defeated Lula in the first round with approximately 47% of the votes compared to the 45% of the incumbent president. Since neither achieved an absolute majority, there will be a runoff on October 25.
Flávio Bolsonaro, senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, met with Trump at the White House on May 26 and promised to integrate Brazil into the "Shield of the Americas" if he won the elections. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is disqualified until 2030 precisely for leading a coup conspiracy in 2022.
The elections in Brazil also represent bad news for the Cuban regime, which watches with concern the rise of Flávio Bolsonaro, whose platform is openly opposed to the leftist dictatorships in the region.
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