Trump mixes up Brazil and India in presidential election post
US president claims 125 million voted in India as he uses Brazil’s vote count to attack American elections
Donald Trump appeared to confuse Brazil with India in a social media post claiming that 125 million people had voted in India’s presidential election
The White House Rapid Response account reposted the message, prompting corrections from social media users
Brazil’s election is heading for a 25 October run-off between Flavio Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to the report
US President Donald Trump appeared to mistake Brazil for India in a social media post about presidential election results, claiming that 125 million people had voted in the first round of an Indian presidential contest.
The message, posted on Truth Social on Monday, Indian time, followed the first round of Brazil’s presidential election. India’s President is chosen by an electoral college rather than through a direct public vote.
Trump praised the speed of the results, writing that they were announced, “on the SAME DAY”, before claiming that counting much smaller numbers of votes in parts of the United States could take weeks. He used the comparison to repeat his claim that American elections were corrupt.
The official White House Rapid Response account also shared the post. Social media users responded by pointing out the apparent confusion between the two countries.
According to the report, Brazil’s first-round count put right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro ahead of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but neither secured the majority needed for an outright victory.
With 98.81 per cent of votes counted, Bolsonaro had received 47.24 per cent and Lula 44.91 per cent. The two are scheduled to contest a run-off on October 25.
Flavio Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence following his conviction for masterminding an attempt to overturn the previous election result through a military coup.
The second round will require both candidates to seek support beyond their first-round voters. Lula faces the task of winning over those who backed eliminated candidates as he seeks to prevent a return of the right to Brazil’s presidency.
With IANS inputs