Why Brazil Matters to America

They say you can't vote your way out of socialism. Brazil is showing us why.

On Sunday, against inconceivable odds, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva claimed a fourth term as president of Brazil, beating Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro 51.79 percent to 48.21 percent. Flávio had led the first round by more than two million votes. Political scientist Jairo Nicolau called a Lula comeback "almost impossible." Flávio's brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, goes even further, calling the result "statistically impossible."

But this wasn't just a matter of statistics. On Election Day, Lula had a little help from his friends. With the clock running out, his coalition ran to the Supreme Court asking for more time. And as luck would have it, the case landed with Justice Cristiano Zanin, who just happens to be Lula's former personal lawyer. What a coincidence.

At 5:01 p.m., one minute after the polls legally closed, Zanin extended voting by two hours nationwide, even though many polling places had already shut down. In São Paulo alone, 80 percent had closed. In the end, more than 35,000 votes came in after the legal closing time. President Trump said it "looked like another rigged election." He's not the only one who thinks so.

So why should you care what happens in Brazil? There are more reasons than you might think.

Brazil is South America's largest economy. It has the second-largest rare-earth reserves in the world, behind only China, and it pumped a record of nearly 3.8 million barrels of oil a day in 2025. Its biggest customer is Communist China, with $171 billion in trade last year, more than double what Brazil does with us. Brazil is also the B in BRICS, a bloc that now includes Iran, and Lula has gone to Shanghai and asked "why all countries have to base their trade on the dollar." Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia have all moved to the right. Brazil was the biggest country left, and China's closest friend in the region just held onto it.

Then there's free speech. In 2024, Brazil's Supreme Court shut down X across the entire country. Paulo Figueiredo, a Brazilian commentator who lives in Florida, still has his X account blocked inside Brazil. And in his victory speech, Lula promised to "regulate" the digital platforms, which are American companies. If you think that kind of censorship stays in Brazil, think again.

Lula's win also emboldens the socialists here at home, and that's the last thing we need a week out from our own midterms, with socialists on ballots across America. They couldn't have been happier with the result. The Democratic Socialists of America cheered "Parabéns Lula and Brazil!" and bragged that DSA "accompanied the elections at both the first and second rounds." Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called it "a worldwide win." Gavin Newsom's press office announced that he "and all of California are proud to stand with Brazil." And Alex Soros, heir to the Soros political empire, posted, "Lula Lula Lula!"

Socialism might have won in Brazil for now but we still have a chance to stop it from taking hold here at home. So if you’re thinking about sitting out this election. Don't.

David Pollack is the host of David Pollack Primetime, weeknights at 10 PM ET on OAN, and a political consultant and strategist.