Brazil Denies Visas to Trump Officials Ahead of October Election

Brazil has denied visa requests for two Trump administration officials who planned to travel to the country ahead of its October presidential election, according to two Brazilian officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

US Delegation Blocked

The rejected delegation would have included Assistant Secretary Riley M. Barnes from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, along with deputy assistant secretary Samuel Samson. Brazilian officials said the visa denial, issued Friday, was based on evidence pointing to an attempt to politically exploit the election and undermine confidence in the electoral system.

State Department Pushes Back

A US State Department spokesperson later said Barnes and Samson planned to visit Brasília from July 27 to 30 to discuss election integrity, religious freedom, and freedom of expression with officials and civil society groups. The spokesperson called suggestions of an election “ploy” baseless and described the trip as routine.

Election Context

The October vote pits incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, a Trump ally and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The elder Bolsonaro previously cast doubt on Brazil’s voting system before the 2022 election, a campaign that led to his being barred from office until 2030 and later convicted for plotting to overturn election results. Flavio Bolsonaro has recently urged foreign governments to send election observers and made claims about voting machine origins that Brazil’s electoral court has disputed.