Lula’s Upset Is a Win for the Rule of Law and a Blow to Trump

The administration’s moves in Brazil are part of a broader imperialistic move by the United States to dominate Latin America, by either forcing reluctant leaders of those countries to carry out U.S. edicts, helping more pro-American figures win power, or in the case of Venezuela, arresting their leader and then replacing him with a proxy beholden to the U.S. Lula is perhaps the most vocal figure in Latin America opposing Trump’s agenda, both in that region and around the world. It would have been a great victory for Trump to defeat one of his most prominent enemies. Brazil’s voters denied the American autocrat such a win. 

Lula’s win is a blow to the billionaire class as well. While American billionaires weren’t overtly helping Bolsonaro as they do Trump, there is considerable evidence that Instagram was suppressing pro-Lula content but not accounts and posts favorable to Bolsonaro. Brazil’s election court thought that the allegations of favoritism were serious enough that it issued a ruling demanding that Meta’s media platforms treat the candidates’ content equally. (Meta denies that its platforms discriminated against Lula.) 

The other good news about this election is how Lula won. After finishing behind Bolsonaro in the first round of voting, Lula and his campaign essentially adopted an all-of-the above strategy. Lula blasted Bolsonaro’s anti-democratic views while also announcing a slew of populist economic proposals, most notably reducing the workweek there from six days to five. His campaign greatly increased its presence on social media. They aggressively courted people who hadn’t voted in the first round, as well as evangelicals, a bloc that leans right but includes many people who would consider a left-wing candidate.