Bolsonaro had mimicked Trump’s strategy during his own 2020 reelection campaign,for months sowing doubts about the reliability of Brazil’s voting machines and then filing a petition to annul millions of votes. He is now under investigation for allegedly inciting the uprising.
Like Trump,Bolsonaro has not conceded the election,though unlike the former US president he also has never explicitly said he lost due to fraud.
During a question-and-answer session with Charlie Kirk,head of the conservative Turning Point USA,the former Brazilian president rattled off his administration’s accomplishments and then provided backers with an opening.
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“Brazil was doing very well,” Bolsonaro said. “I cannot understand the reasons why (the election) decided to go to the left.”
After the cries of “fraud” died down,Kirk,who helped spread Trump’s own election fraud lies after the former US president’s loss,replied,“All I can say is,that sounds very familiar.”
The event took place at Trump’s Miami hotel,underscoring the connection between two populist presidents who fanned suspicion of their democracies’ elections,leading supporters to turn violent after their losses. The two were political allies who shared an overlapping set of advisers.