Lula's upset win boosts rule of law, hurts Trump
The gist
Brazil's Lula won the runoff with 51.8% and a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes over Flávio Bolsonaro.
The result reverses a regional run of Trump-allied wins and tests Brazil's institutions.
How it unfolded
- 2022A broad pro-democracy coalition led by Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro, who would not concede and whose allies attacked government buildings.
- 2023Lula named Cristiano Zanin, his former personal lawyer, to the Supreme Court.
- Jun 2026Trump met with Flávio Bolsonaro and released a Truth Social post praising him, showing the two in the Oval Office.