Lula Turns the Tide on Trump’s Donroe Doctrine

On Sunday, October 25, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated far-right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro by a margin of three and a half points, and almost 4.5 million votes. It was roughly twice the margin of the 2022 election, when Lula defeated Flavio’s father, Jair Bolsonaro.It was the first time in Brazilian history that a candidate lost the first round of voting and won the second. And it was also one of the first defeats of a far-right Trump ally in several years. As we’ve examined throughout this season of the podcast, Trump’s Donroe Doctrine has overshadowed the region since he came back into power early last year. He’s invaded Venezuela, tightened the screws on Cuba, and twisted arms to get his friends elected in countries up and down the Americas. But in Brazil, he couldn’t. And it’s not because Trump and his Silicon Valley buddies didn’t try. It’s because Lula supporters organized en masse. Students, workers, teachers, retirees, and everyone in between. And they hit the streets to flip the vote, despite the odds.They rallied with weeks of around-the-clock campaigning, marches, and protests. They pamphleted and fliered. They talked to their neighbors and their relatives. Online, Lula supporters responded with creative campaigns to confuse the algorithms that aggressively pushed content promoting Bolsonaro. As many in the crowds told me again and again in recent weeks, this election was a decision that would define the fate of Brazil’s democracy. This wasn’t a vote between two candidates in a democratic system, where one wins and the other accepts their loss. It was a decision between democracy and dictatorship. Or democracy and something else.And democracy won. We began this Season 2 of Under the Shadow in December 2025, in the weeks following the publication of Trump’s National Security Doctrine. We have now come full circle, closing with the shifting tides that helped to lift Lula to reelection.Guests: 

• Alexander Aviña
• Sean T. Mitchel

Resources About Lula’s Election in Brazil:

• Lula Wins Stunning Upset Over Flávio Bolsonaro in Blow to Far Right & Trump — Democracy Now!
• Lula wins fourth term in tight run-off against Bolsonaro
• President Lula Wins Brazil’s Elections in Surprising Victory

Follow Under the Shadow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration’s onslaught on Latin America. Hosted, written, produced, mixed, and edited by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox. This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA. It is sup