Lula Vows to Warn Trump at the UN: ‘Do Not Interfere in Brazil’s Elections’
Key Facts
—The warning — Lula told a campaign rally on Thursday, 17 September 2026, that he will use the UN General Assembly in New York to warn Donald Trump personally: “do not interfere in Brazil’s elections.”
—The schedule — Lula flies to New York on Sunday, 20 September. He delivers the opening address of the General Assembly’s general debate on Tuesday, 22 September. Trump speaks immediately after him.
—The meeting — No formal bilateral meeting is scheduled, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry confirmed. The two presidents are expected to cross paths anyway. Lula also meets New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Monday, 21 September.
—The stakes — The trip lands two weeks before Brazil’s first-round vote on 4 October, with polls showing a statistical deadlock between Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
Lula opens the UN General Assembly’s debate week in New York on Tuesday — with Donald Trump speaking right after him. Before leaving, the Brazilian president turned the trip into a campaign message: hands off Brazil’s election.
What Lula Said
Speaking to thousands of supporters at a campaign rally in Ceilândia, in the Federal District, on Thursday, 17 September, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva framed his New York trip as a sovereignty message.
“On Sunday at 10 am, I’m getting on a plane to attend the UN meeting to speak with Trump and tell him: do not interfere in Brazil’s elections,” Lula said. “Brazil does not want to be anyone’s colony. Brazil wants to be sovereign, led by Brazilians, and to build its future with the sweat and blood of Brazilians.”
He aimed directly at his opponent’s Washington ties: “This country does not tolerate politicians who display the national flag by day, yet get down on all fours before the United States and the American flag by night.” Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s challenger, maintains close ties with the White House, and Donald Trump has explicitly backed both Flávio and his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The Tuesday Sequence
Brazil traditionally opens the general debate of the UN General Assembly. Lula speaks on Tuesday, 22 September, and Trump addresses the hall immediately after him. That order makes a public encounter likely even without a formal meeting.
Ambassador Carlos Bicalho Cozendey, secretary of Multilateral Political Affairs at Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed that no bilateral meeting is currently planned. The two presidents are expected to cross paths in New York, as they did at last year’s assembly.
Lula’s agenda in New York starts earlier: on Monday, 21 September, he meets Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York — a meeting that itself reads as a signal in US domestic politics.
Why the Friction Is Real
Relations between Brasília and Washington have hardened over trade disputes, tariff pressure and security policy. The United States labeled Brazil’s two largest criminal gangs as terrorist organizations this year — a decision Lula rejected again on Friday as he launched a federal anti-crime pilot plan in Rio de Janeiro. Some Brazilian analysts read the US label as an attempt to paint Lula as soft on crime weeks before the vote.
The election itself is on a knife edge. A Datafolha poll published on Thursday put Lula at 46 percent and Flávio Bolsonaro at 44 percent in a runoff — inside the margin of error — while an AtlasIntel/Bloomberg survey the same week showed Bolsonaro marginally ahead, 47.2 to 46.8. The first round is on 4 October; a runoff, if needed, follows on 25 October. Our election guide tracks every poll.
What It Means for the Campaign
For Lula, the New York stage offers what no rally can: a global audience and a direct contrast with his rival’s main foreign patron. For Trump, speaking immediately after Lula guarantees that Brazil’s election — and his own role in it — stays in the news cycle days before Brazilians vote.
The direction of movement is toward open confrontation rather than quiet diplomacy. Neither capital has announced any meeting, and neither side has softened its language this week.
What We Could Not Confirm
Whether Lula and Trump will actually hold a bilateral meeting in New York. Whether Lula’s speech will address US tariffs, the terrorist designation of Brazilian gangs, or reported US sanctions discussions involving Supreme Court justices. And how the Trump campaign intends to respond.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Lula speak at the UN General Assembly 2026?
Lula delivers the opening address of the general debate on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, in New York. US President Donald Trump speaks immediately after him. Lula flies to New York on Sunday, 20 September.
What did Lula say about Trump and Brazil’s election?
At a rally on 17 September 2026, Lula said he will tell Trump at the UN: “do not interfere in Brazil’s elections.” He added that Brazil wants to be sovereign and criticized politicians who, in his words, kneel before the American flag.
Will Lula and Trump meet in New York?
No bilateral meeting is scheduled, according to Brazil’s Foreign Ministry. But the two presidents speak back to back on Tuesday and are expected to cross paths, as they did at last year’s assembly.
Where does Brazil’s election stand?
Polls published in mid-September 2026 show a statistical tie between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro. Datafolha has the runoff at 46–44 for Lula; AtlasIntel/Bloomberg has Bolsonaro marginally ahead, 47.2–46.8. The first round is on 4 October, a possible runoff on 25 October.
Sources: Anadolu Agency (18 September 2026); Associated Press (18 September 2026); Datafolha and AtlasIntel/Bloomberg polls (September 2026); The Rio Times coverage of the Lula–Mamdani meeting (18 September 2026).
More: Brazil Elections 2026 coverage from The Rio Times.
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