Trump Mistakenly Refers to Brazil Poll as India’s Presidential Election

US President Donald Trump appeared to mistakenly refer to Brazil as India while commenting on the South American country’s presidential election, claiming that 125 million people had voted in the “first round of India’s presidential election”.

Trump made the remark in a post on Truth Social shortly after Brazil held the first round of its presidential election. India does not elect its President through a direct nationwide vote by citizens.

“125 Million People voted today in the first round of India’s Presidential Election,” Trump wrote, before comparing the speed of Brazil’s election results with the counting process in the US and repeating his allegations that voting in America is “CORRUPT”.

The official White House Rapid Response account also reposted Trump’s statement.

The post quickly drew reactions online, with social media users pointing out the apparent mix-up between Brazil and India.

Trump’s post came after Brazil’s presidential election, in which right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro finished ahead of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva but failed to secure the majority needed to win outright.

With 98.81 per cent of the votes counted, Bolsonaro had secured 47.24 per cent of the vote, while Lula had received 44.91 per cent. As neither candidate crossed the required threshold, they will face each other in a runoff scheduled for October 25.

The result represented a strong showing for Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The former right-wing leader is serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of masterminding an unsuccessful attempt to overturn the previous election result through a military coup.

Lula will now seek to consolidate his support while reaching out to voters who backed candidates eliminated in the first round.

The runoff will determine whether Lula retains the presidency or the Brazilian right returns to power.