Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's campaign has accused Donald Trump of trying to interfere in the country's presidential election to gain access to its natural resources. The claim was made in a television campaign video aired on Thursday, the Guardian reported, News.bg reports.
The video claims that Trump supports candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and seeks to expand US influence in Brazil through him. The campaign message presents the US president's actions as an attempt to "colonize" of the country and control over its natural resources.
The US State Department rejects accusations of interference in the Brazilian elections and defines the allegations of a conspiracy to undermine the democratic process as unfounded.
Lula himself has also accused Flavio Bolsonaro of giving the country's natural resources to the United States. In a post on the social network X, the Brazilian president said that in such a scenario the country could once again become a “colony“.
The dispute flares up days before the first round of the presidential election on October 4. If no candidate receives the required majority, a runoff will be held on October 25. Recent polls show Lula and Bolsonaro very close, with the differences remaining within the margin of error in some polls.
The accusations come amid a broader dispute over relations between Washington and Brazil. In recent weeks, the US administration has been accused by Brazilian officials and US Democratic lawmakers of exerting political and economic pressure on the country with potential repercussions on the electoral process.