President Milei called Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a “zurdo ladrón” (leftist thief) in a post on X on October 20, five days before Brazil’s presidential runoff.
Milei wrote that he hoped the “last dirty campaign trick” of Lula’s camp “doesn’t include stealing the election.” He offered no evidence of fraud. The post answered a viral clip from a Lula interview with SBT News, in which Lula said a woman cannot work six days a week and rest on the seventh because that day goes to cleaning the house. Milei added that progressives accuse all their opponents of sexism.
LOS PROGRES MACHIRULOS... Después andan acusan de misóginos a todos sus oponentes... se les está cayendo la careta a estos delincuentes... Espero que su último truco de campaña sucia no incluya robarse la elección... zurdo ladrón. VLLC!
Translation: "THE MACHO PROGRESSIVES... Then they go around accusing all their opponents of being misogynists... the mask is slipping off these criminals... I hope their latest dirty-campaign trick doesn't include stealing the election... leftist thief. Long live freedom, damn it!"
Milei has backed Lula’s challenger, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The runoff is close: a Datafolha poll published on October 15 put Bolsonaro at 51% of valid votes and Lula at 49%, within its margin of error.
The exchange adds to a feud that peaked in July. After Milei addressed Bolsonaro’s party convention in São Paulo and called Lula a “ladrão” (thief), Brazil’s foreign ministry summoned Argentina’s ambassador and recalled its own for consultations. Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira called the remarks unacceptable.
Brazil is South America’s largest economy and a main partner of Argentina in the Mercosur trade bloc. Brazil votes on October 25.