Brazil opens investigation into alleged Trump administration plan to fund far-right causes in the country

The investigation comes as Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro prepare to compete against each other in what is being described as a consequential election in Brazil, which could shape the outlook and the future of the emerging economy for decades to come.

Brazil’s attorney general asked police on Thursday to investigate allegations that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was using government funds to promote a “far-right agenda” in the South American country.

Brazil is three days away from a fiercely contested presidential election, which will pit left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against Flavio Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator – the son and political heir of former conservative president Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula has made Brazil’s sovereignty a central campaign theme, warning against “interference” by Trump, who has backed several right-wing candidates in recent Latin American elections.

Attorney General Jorge Messias called for an investigation a day after the British newspaper The Guardian published an article claiming that the Trump administration planned to provide $1 million (888,800 euros) to fund civil society groups that oppose Brazil’s Supreme Court.

The article “raises a serious red flag regarding Brazilian sovereignty”, Messias wrote in a post on X. He added that efforts to interfere in Brazilian institutions “cannot be tolerated”.

In a separate statement announcing the complaint, the attorney general’s office said The Guardian’s report was “particularly serious, given the ongoing electoral process in Brazil and recent episodes of external pressure on the country’s institutions”.

Trump was a close ally of Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing a re-election bid in 2022.

The U.S. administration temporarily imposed sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who led the trial against the former president, which Trump described as a “witch hunt” against his ally.