Far-right presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro triggered a wave of social media backlash after appearing at Sunday night's televised debate with the word "corrupto" (corrupt) written on his palm, aimed at his rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The move was quickly turned against him and became the target of widespread mockery.
Rather than drawing attention to the allegations against Lula, many viewers read Bolsonaro's handwritten message as a confession about himself. Soon after the debate, Lula supporters across the country shared photos of their own palms with self-descriptions written on them, setting off a viral trend.
Guitarist John Ulhoa of the pop-rock band Pato Fu posted an image describing himself as a "musician (and handsome)." Emmy-winning comedian Antonio Tabet introduced himself to his 2.8 million followers on X as an "artist." Carlos Marcio used both palms to identify himself as a cellist and author. Midwife Carla Emanuela Sacramento posted a photo in medical protective gear with "primary healthcare nurse" written on her right palm.
Beyond ordinary citizens, several prominent politicians joined in. Lula's health minister, infectious disease specialist Alexandre Padilha, wrote on his palm that he is a doctor. Congresswoman Tabata Amaral identified herself as a political scientist and astrophysicist.
Across Brazil, librarians, oil workers, engineers, journalists, architects, pilots, psychologists, seamstresses, street cleaners, teachers, influencers and police officers all used ballpoint pens to write their professions on the skin of their hands and shared the results online.
Latin America expert James Bosworth, writing on Substack, called Bolsonaro's move a "serious mistake" in his bid for power. "It seemed like a stunt to get attention ahead of the debate. Instead, he gave the world a meme image that will be tied to his political career forever," Bosworth wrote, adding a piece of advice: "Don't write 'corrupto' on your hand and hold it up to the audience."
Flávio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, is a longtime professional politician who has faced corruption allegations, though he denies them and has never been convicted. The 45-year-old senator also has documented ties to members of organized crime in Rio and once employed a relative of the city's most notorious contract killer, Adriano da Nóbrega. Last week, two of his allies were arrested over alleged links to the Red Command drug gang, which Donald Trump recently designated a foreign terrorist organization. Bolsonaro expressed surprise at the arrests and said the two have the right to prove their innocence.
On Monday, Brazilian media reported that Bolsonaro is under investigation by the federal police in a money-laundering inquiry.
Lula, whose Workers' Party (PT) has also been embroiled in major corruption scandals, used the debate to challenge Bolsonaro. He said he would give the electoral authority access to his bank records and phone recordings, as well as those of his relatives, to prove he is not corrupt, if Bolsonaro agreed to do the same.
Bolsonaro, who polls show holds a narrow lead ahead of Sunday's second-round vote, has not responded to Lula's challenge. The right-wing candidate won the first round on October 4 by a margin of more than 2 million votes.
