Javier Milei backs Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s run-off

Javier Milei backed Flavio Bolsonaro for Brazil's presidency in reported Washington remarks while urging regional support for President Trump.

Speaking on Wednesday, Argentina's president endorsed the Brazilian senator and attacked incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. His intervention placed support for Bolsonaro within a broader appeal for Latin American governments to organize politically alongside the United States against the left.

The supplied account identifies October 25 as the presidential run-off date. It reports that Bolsonaro finished the October 4 opening round with 47% of valid votes, compared with Lula's 45%, but provides no electoral authority statement corroborating those figures.

Milei takes sides against Lula

Milei addressed the Hispanic Heritage Month Gala in Washington, an event organized by Latino Wall Street, where he accepted an award for his leadership. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the candidate's brother, attended, giving the speech a direct connection to the Brazilian political family.

The Argentine president expressed confidence that Flavio Bolsonaro would win and described Lula as a "communist dictator Lula da Silva". That description was Milei's political attack, not an established characterization of Brazil's presidency; his expectation of victory was likewise an endorsement rather than an election result.

Milei also associated Lula with Fidel Castro, the late Cuban leader. Near the end of the address, he departed from his prepared remarks to call for Lula's removal from office, according to the account.

Bolsonaro family receives public support

Flavio Bolsonaro is a senator and Jair Bolsonaro's eldest son. Milei's remarks extended beyond the candidate: he acknowledged Eduardo in the audience and conveyed support for their father, whom he described as a friend.

The account says Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence over an attempted coup following his defeat by Lula in the 2022 election. No judgment or court statement accompanies the material, so the sentence and its legal basis remain single-sourced here.

Milei characterized Jair Bolsonaro's imprisonment as unjust and vindictive. That assessment belongs to the Argentine president; the material contains no response from Brazil's judiciary, Lula or the Brazilian government to either the prison comments or the electoral endorsement.

Trump anchors Milei's regional appeal

Milei urged Latin American presidents to join President Trump in constructing what he called "a true shield against socialism". The appeal linked his backing for the Bolsonaro family to an explicitly ideological vision of regional cooperation, rather than a specific agreement announced at the gala.

The visit was Milei's twentieth US trip since his December 2023 inauguration, according to the account, which supplies no itinerary breakdown. His remarks identify preferred political partners but contain no new trade, investment or security commitments.

The electoral outcome would determine whether Milei's preferred candidate takes Brazil's presidency. If Bolsonaro wins, the endorsement would connect two sitting presidents; if Lula wins, Milei's public criticism would remain directed at the continuing Brazilian leader.