Trump calls Brazil election a 'disgrace' after Bolsonaro defeat and market drop

United States President Donald Trump has described Brazil's presidential election as a "disgrace" while saying he would not take sides in the contest. His comments came after Sunday's runoff, in which Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated Jair Bolsonaro by more than four million votes. Trump said he had watched the election and called it a "great embarrassment" to the people of Brazil.

Trump made the remarks on Thursday morning in response to a reporter's question. He said he had been asked not to take sides by the sitting president, and added that he had not done so. He also pointed to the Brazilian market, saying it had "gone down through the floor" after the vote.

The supporting material says the Brazilian real fell 12 percent against the dollar in spot trading after the election. The comments followed the departure of Bolsonaro's family from Brazil. Former senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on Wednesday, a day before Trump's remarks.

The supporting material says the family was aided in leaving Brazil by Trump and his administration, and that officials told a newspaper the US government would likely provide permanent residency. Bolsonaro himself had already left Brazil under cover of darkness, crossing by land into Argentina before travelling on to Miami. The episode adds a cross-border political dimension to an already tense post-election period in Brazil.

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Bolsonaro had lost to Lula, the left-wing incumbent, in a vote that has become a focal point for claims of fraud and political retaliation from his allies. The remarks from Trump, a close political ally of Bolsonaro's camp, are likely to be read in Brazil as a sign of continuing international attention on the dispute. They also come as markets react to the uncertainty surrounding the transition.

The supporting material says Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports shortly after the election. That move was intended to prevent him from leaving the country before possible investigations into embezzlement and money laundering. After arriving in Miami, Bolsonaro said he was the "true elected president of Brazil" and described the allegations against him as a politically motivated witch-hunt.

He also urged the international community not to normalise what he said was happening in Brazil. What remains unclear is how far the political fallout will extend, and whether the Brazilian authorities will pursue further action against Bolsonaro or members of his circle. It is also not clear what practical effect Trump's comments will have on the situation in Brazil, beyond adding to the political noise around the result.

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