Trump corrects post that wrongly referred to an Indian presidential election
Donald Trump corrected a social media post in which he cited a supposed Indian presidential election while criticising the speed of vote counting in the United States. India held no such election, and its president is chosen indirectly. The figures and timing in Trump’s post corresponded to Brazil’s presidential vote.
US President Donald Trump corrected a social media post after referring to a presidential election in India that did not take place. In the original Truth Social post, Trump said 125 million people had voted in India’s presidential election and that results had been released shortly after polls closed. He used the claim to argue that voting in the United States was “CORRUPT” because counting in some American cities and states can take weeks.
The post appeared to refer instead to Brazil’s presidential election, which held its first round on Sunday. Brazil’s electoral authority recorded 125.27 million valid votes, while results began being released when voting ended at 5 p.m. The message was later corrected.
India did not hold a presidential election. Droupadi Murmu, who took office in July 2022, is the country’s current president. India’s president is elected by an Electoral College made up of elected members of Parliament and state and union-territory legislative assemblies.
Brazil’s first round was contested by incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Neither candidate secured a majority, so the two will face a run-off on October 25. Trump has previously cited India’s electoral system while advocating changes in the United States.
In August, he referred to voter identification requirements in India while promoting the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, introduce a national identification requirement and restrict voting by mail. The supplied report did not include a further explanation from Trump for the initial reference to India.
Vertrix News compared the attributed reports listed below and wrote this independent synthesis. Claims remain attributed where independent verification was unavailable.