{
  "id": 9691077,
  "title": "Lula says Trump wants to ‘colonise’ and capture Brazil’s resources by meddling in election",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/lula-says-trump-wants-to-colonise-and-capture-brazils-resources-by",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T03:33:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian US",
    "slug": "the-guardian-us",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/25/lula-says-trump-wants-to-colonise-and-capture-brazils-resources-by-meddling-in-election"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Brazilian political ad claims the United States President Donald Trump seeks to \"colonise\" Brazil, aiming to seize the country's resources and future by interfering in the nation's upcoming presidential election. The accusation was aired on Thursday by Lula's campaign team, amid rising concerns over potential US meddling in the vote. The TV spot asserts that Trump supports Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula's political rival, as the candidate for Brazil's presidency, to serve his own interests in South America. According to the narrator, \"Flávio Bolsonaro is Trump's candidate and what Trump wants is to colonise Brazil, take our riches, steal our future and leave us in the dust.\" The US State Department has dismissed the allegations, calling them \"baseless lies.\" In a statement, the department said, \"Any insinuation of a 'ploy' to undermine a democratic nation's election is a baseless lie.\" Lula accused Bolsonaro of wanting to \"hand our natural resources over to the United States,\" saying, \"If it's up to him, Brazil will become a colony again.\" With only a week remaining until the first round of voting on October 4, Lula and Bolsonaro are tied in the polls. If no candidate garners more than half the votes, a run-off election will be held on October 25. In recent weeks, there has been growing concern both domestically and internationally regarding Washington's alleged attempts to sway the election, including a campaign of diplomatic and economic pressure, such as 25% tariffs on Brazilian imports. Lula indirectly criticized the US' actions at the UN General Assembly in New York, stating, \"We will not allow the enemies of democracy – internal or external – to attack the will of the people. Brazilian democracy belongs to the Brazilians.\" A letter sent by Democratic lawmakers to Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the Trump administration's interference in Brazil's election, demanding a response by October 1.",
  "summary": "A TV spot claims the US president is trying to sway October’s presidential vote in favour of Lula’s far-right opponents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s presidential campaign has accused Donald Trump of wanting to “colonise”Brazil in order to capture its natural resources by meddling in next month’s presidential election. The accusation came in a televised campaign advert that was broadcast on…",
  "key_points": [
    "US President Donald Trump allegedly wants to colonise Brazil and seize its resources",
    "Lula's campaign team accuses Trump of supporting Flávio Bolsonaro as Brazil's presidential candidate",
    "US State Department dismisses allegations as \"baseless lies\""
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian",
        "title": "Lula says Trump wants to ‘colonise’ and capture Brazil’s resources by meddling in election",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/lula-says-trump-wants-to-colonise-and-capture-brazils-resources-by-9692735",
        "published": "2026-09-25T03:33:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}