Brazil’s Lula Calls Flávio Bolsonaro a ‘Mongrel’ 3 Days Before the Vote

BRAZIL · ELECTIONS 2026

Brazil’s President Lula called his main rival, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a “vira-lata”, a mongrel, in a podcast interview on Thursday, 1 October. The first round of the presidential election is on Sunday.

In remarks reported the same day, Argentina’s President Javier Milei told France’s Le Point he hopes “my friend Flávio Bolsonaro” wins. He again called Lula “a thief”.

What Lula said on the podcast

Lula chose the Flow Podcast over TV Globo’s final debate, which the broadcaster then cancelled. The newspaper O Dia reported that the interview had drawn 1.6 million views on the show’s channel.

“He has no past, no present, no future. He never worked in his life,” Lula said of Flávio, according to O Dia. He added that his opponent was not qualified “to be even a building manager”.

“My adversary is a vira-lata. He sent his brother to the US to speak ill of Brazil,” Lula said, according to the weekly Brasil de Fato.

The brother is former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro. Opera Mundi linked the remark to the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Brazil.

Opera Mundi also reported a “traitor to the homeland” jibe at Flávio. In Brasil de Fato’s transcript, that phrase falls in a passage aimed at Eduardo.

“Vira-lata” literally means a stray dog. In the 1950s the playwright Nelson Rodrigues coined the “mongrel complex” for Brazilians who feel inferior to foreigners.

Milei’s endorsement from Paris

Milei flew to France on Wednesday, 30 September, to seek investment, the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported. His remarks came in an interview with Le Point, as quoted by Folha and the site Diário do Centro do Mundo.

“I hope that my friend Flávio Bolsonaro wins in October to carry out the liberal clean-up the country needs,” Milei said. He repeated that Lula left prison “because of an administrative flaw”.

Lula’s corruption convictions were annulled by Brazil’s Supreme Court in 2021. The court ruled that the trial court in Curitiba had no jurisdiction over the cases.

Asked about trade, Milei called it “a matter between private parties”. Anyone may trade with Brazil, he said, but that “does not stop me from saying what I think about Lula”.

A feud that began in July

The quarrel is not new. Milei came to São Paulo in July for Flávio’s campaign launch and called Lula a thief and a convict, Folha reported.

He also called Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes “bald trash”. Brazil summoned Argentina’s ambassador and in August downgraded relations, in what Folha called the worst crisis in decades.

In the Le Point interview, Milei also complained that Moraes had blocked his visit to Jair Bolsonaro. He repeated that Lula sent “30 psychologists and communicators” against him in 2023. Folha notes Milei never proved Lula financed them.

What comes next

Brazilians vote on Sunday. To win outright, a candidate needs more than half of the valid votes, which exclude blank and spoiled ballots.

Lula told the podcast he thinks the election will be settled in the first round. Datafolha’s latest poll, at 45%, puts him short of that line, so a runoff on 25 October remains likely.

The insults do not mean a break between Brazil and Argentina. Milei himself separated trade from politics, and the reports of the interview mention no official response from Brasília.

Milei’s endorsement also has no formal weight. Datafolha found that 82% of voters call their choice final, while 45% reject each front-runner.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “vira-lata” mean?

Literally a stray dog of mixed breed. In Brazil it is also an insult for someone who looks down on his own country and admires foreigners, a sense made famous by the playwright Nelson Rodrigues in the 1950s.

Who is Flávio Bolsonaro?

He is a senator for Rio de Janeiro and the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. He is the right-wing Liberal Party’s presidential candidate and Lula’s main rival.

Why does Milei’s support matter?

Argentina is Brazil’s neighbour and a key trading partner, and Milei is the region’s best-known libertarian leader. His backing signals which Brazilian camp he would rather work with, but it carries no weight in the vote itself.

When will Brazil know who won?

Results usually come in on the night of the vote, Sunday 4 October. If no candidate wins more than half of the valid votes, the top two meet in a runoff on 25 October.

Sources: Opera Mundi, “Lula chama Flávio de ‘vira-lata’ e defende reforma no Judiciário após eleição”, 1 October 2026; O Dia, “Lula chama Flávio de desqualificado e aposta em reeleição no 1º turno”, 1 October 2026; Folha de S.Paulo, “Milei volta a atacar Lula e apoiar Flávio às vésperas das eleições no Brasil”, 1 October 2026 (quoting Le Point); Brasil de Fato, “Lula sobe o tom com Flávio Bolsonaro […]: ‘meu adversário é um vira-lata’”, 1 October 2026; Diário do Centro do Mundo, “‘Meu amigo’: Milei defende vitória de Flávio Bolsonaro e repete ataques a Lula”, 1 October 2026; Folha de S.Paulo, “Datafolha: Lula tem 45% e Flávio Bolsonaro, 40% em votos válidos no 1º turno”, 1 October 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.