Trump Mistakes Brazil for India, Claims 125 Million Voted in India’s Presidential Election
US President Donald Trump has mistakenly referred to Brazil's presidential election as India's presidential election, claiming that 125 million people had voted in the first round of an “India's Presidential Election.”
Trump made the claim in a post on Truth Social on Monday, a day after Brazil held its first-round presidential vote.
Trump Appears to Confuse Brazil With India
Trump wrote that 125 million people had voted in the first round of India's presidential election and praised the speed with which the results were announced.
He then compared the process with elections in the United States, saying results in places such as Detroit, Philadelphia and California can take weeks to calculate. He also criticised the integrity of the US voting system.
However, the figure Trump cited closely matches the number of valid votes recorded in Brazil's election, strongly indicating that he was referring to Brazil rather than India. About 125.3 million valid votes were recorded in Brazil.
India Does Not Hold a Direct Presidential Vote
Trump's reference to an Indian presidential election was inaccurate on another important point.
India does not elect its President through a nationwide popular vote. The President is elected by an Electoral College consisting of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and elected members of state legislative assemblies, along with the elected assemblies of Delhi and Puducherry.
India therefore does not conduct a presidential election in which millions of citizens directly vote for the head of state.
Brazil Held the Election on October 4
Brazil held the first round of its presidential election on Sunday, October 4.
The contest produced a runoff between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
With almost all votes counted, Flávio Bolsonaro received about 47% of the vote, while Lula secured about 45%. Neither candidate crossed the 50% threshold required for an outright victory. The two are scheduled to face each other again on October 25.
Trump Uses Vote Counting to Criticise US System
Trump's post was primarily aimed at the US electoral system.
He argued that American election results can take much longer to be announced despite smaller numbers of votes in individual cities and states.
He ended the post by declaring that voting in America is “corrupt.”
Trump did not provide evidence in the post to support that allegation. The comparison came as the United States prepares for its November midterm elections.
Why the Error Drew Attention
The mistake quickly attracted attention because India and Brazil have very different presidential systems.
Brazil uses a direct popular vote to elect its president, while India's President is chosen indirectly by elected representatives.
The number cited by Trump also corresponded closely to Brazil's election turnout, further highlighting the apparent mix-up.
The episode has therefore become a notable diplomatic and political gaffe rather than an issue concerning India's electoral process.
Source attribution: Reuters, Associated Press, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Times of India and Moneycontrol.