Milei Calls Lula Dictator, Backs Flávio Bolsonaro in Washington

Argentine President Javier Milei labeled Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a "communist dictator" during a speech at the Hispanic Heritage Gala in Washington on October 14. He explicitly endorsed Senator Flávio Bolsonaro for the Brazilian presidential runoff scheduled for October 25.

Milei addressed roughly 200 guests at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium for approximately 20 minutes. He framed the Brazilian election as part of a broader conservative alignment across Latin America alongside the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“My dear friend Flávio Bolsonaro, who with the strength of heaven at his side I am sure will find himself again before the communist dictator Lula da Silva within a few days.”

Flávio Bolsonaro's brother, former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, attended the event despite a Brazilian Supreme Court conviction for judicial coercion carrying a four-year sentence. The two Bolsonaros posed for photographs with Milei during the ceremony organized by Latino Wall Street and La Derecha Diario.

Milei also urged Latin American leaders to form a political shield with Trump ahead of the U.S. midterm elections on November 3. He cited conservative advances in Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Chile, Peru, and Colombia as evidence of a regional shift.

Prediction markets cited by The Rio Times show Flávio Bolsonaro with an 83% to 85% probability of winning the runoff, while Lula trails at 17% to 18%.