RIO DE JANEIRO — South American heads of state have been congratulating President-elect Trump. The most fervent felicitations, however, have come from some of the hemisphere’s most conservative leaders.
Argentina’s far-right libertarian President Javier Milei, who shares a similar brash style with Trump, called the victory "formidable." Milei urged Trump to, “Now, Make America Great Again.”
Milei, who has pledged to carry out a foreign policy with only two nations, the U.S. and Israel, posted on social media, “You know that You can count on Argentina to carry out your task.”
Similarly, Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro posted videos of himself with Trump and long adorations of the president-elect, calling him a “true warrior.” He added, “May Trump’s victory inspire Brazil to follow the same path.”
Bolsonaro has been barred from running for office until 2030 for spreading disinformation during his failed reelection bid in 2022. Like Trump, Bolsonaro never accepted the defeat. Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023, in an attempt to overturn the election results. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president’s son and current legislator, spent last night at Trump’s Mar-O-Lago campaign celebration.
Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also congratulated Trump, yet with more muted enthusiasm. Posting on X, Lula wrote, “Democracy is the voice of the people and must always be respected.”
Lula had openly endorsed Vice President Harris, equating a Trump victory with a return to fascism. The Biden administration had been seen as instrumental in pressuring Brazilian institutions, including the military, to not support Bolsonaro supporters who stormed the capital.
While Lula is not a fan of the former president, Brazil could benefit financially under Trump. He has promised a trade war with China. That could increase Chinese demand for Brazilian grain exports, a definite boon to the South American country’s influential agricultural sector.
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