President-elect Donald Trump’s Victory Gives Hope to Brazil’s Former Leader Jair Bolsonaro
President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in November’s election has given hope to Brazil’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently barred from running for public office until 2030 due to a ruling by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court. Known as the “Trump of the Tropics,” Bolsonaro and his supporters are actively seeking avenues to overturn the ruling, pinning a lot of hope on Trump.
Bolsonaro’s son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, told Fox News Digital that Trump’s victory is not just good news for democracy in Brazil and the world, but also for global peace. He noted that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s successor, had expressed support for Kamala Harris and suggested that a new Trump administration would be “Nazism in another form.” However, after Trump’s victory, Lula congratulated the president-elect and tried to downplay his earlier statement.
Despite the prohibition, Bolsonaro and his supporters are actively seeking avenues to overturn the ruling, and are counting on Trump to exert pressure on the government to allow him to challenge for the presidency in 2026. Bolsonaro believes that Trump’s victory will put the present government in a bind, and that Lula and his team will try to destroy Trump by aligning themselves with China.
The BRICS countries, which include Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, have discussed ways to combat the dominance of the dollar in global financial markets, but Bolsonaro argues that such a strategy will be counter-productive. He also views the ideological alignment on freedom of speech issues as a key component to a potential return of Bolsonaro to the political realm.
Bolsonaro’s popularity has been rising again in recent months, and the last opinion polls conducted in May 2024 indicated that he would secure 39% of the vote in a hypothetical matchup against current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who polled at 47%. However, experts consider these figures to be hypothetical, given Bolsonaro’s current ineligibility.
The relationship between some Republicans and Lula’s administration has been characterized by limited direct engagement, primarily due to differing ideological stances and policy priorities. Historically, the Republican Party has maintained closer ties with right-leaning Brazilian leaders, notably President Bolsonaro, who shared similar conservative viewpoints.
Political analyst Sandra Bronzina told Fox News Digital that the fact that Trump has returned with a resounding electoral win does not bode well for the Lula administration. She noted that Lula’s economic policies have been a disaster, and that the country’s debt already exceeds 9 trillion reals.
Analysts consider that while Bolsonaro enjoys a significant support base and is actively seeking to overturn his political ban, his chances of being re-elected president remain uncertain due to existing legal constraints. However, Congressman Marcel van Hattem told Fox News Digital that the right will be strengthened now since Donald Trump’s victory gave the right in Brazil new hope in 2026.
