In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that 125 million people had voted in the “first round of India’s Presidential Election,” praising the speed with which results were announced. The election he was referring to, however, was Brazil’s presidential election, held on Sunday.
Brazil, meanwhile, held the first round of its presidential election on October 4, with incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro emerging as the leading candidates. Neither secured enough votes for an outright victory, setting up a runoff on October 25, according to Reuters.
Brazil’s electronic voting system is known for delivering results rapidly, which was apparently the feature Trump wanted to highlight while making his case against the US voting system. More than 159 million Brazilians were eligible to vote in Sunday’s election.
Attempting to compare the US electoral system with the Brazilian election, Trump claimed that vote counts in Detroit, Philadelphia, California and other US cities and states can take weeks to be “calculated”, before declaring: “Voting in America is CORRUPT!!!”
Although he did not name Brazil, the timing of the post and his reference to roughly 125 million voters closely match Sunday’s Brazilian presidential election, suggesting that the Brazilian vote was the example he intended to cite.
Trump’s post invited reactions from social media with one user commenting, “Trump living in a different world? Is a presidential election taking place in India? President Donald Trump made the incorrect claim that 125 million people voted in India’s “presidential election” today.”
Another said, “This man is the president of the most powerful country in the world. This didn’t happen by accident; he’s done this before.” One more comment read: “Trump is suffering from India syndrome.”
India does not hold a direct presidential election
India does not hold a direct presidential election. The Indian president is elected by an electoral college comprising elected members of Parliament and state legislatures, rather than through a nationwide popular vote. The next presidential election is not due in 2026.
