During a primetime television debate held on Sunday night, Flávio Bolsonaro, a far-right politician and senator, displayed the word “corrupto” (corrupt) written on his palm as an apparent criticism of his leftwing opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, ahead of Brazil’s presidential election runoff. The strategy, intended to highlight alleged misconduct by the incumbent, produced the opposite effect among viewers.
Instead of focusing on Lula’s record, social media users reinterpreted Bolsonaro’s gesture as a self-indictment. Following the debate, supporters of Lula initiated a widespread meme campaign in which citizens across the country photographed themselves with their own professions inscribed on their palms. The trend rapidly expanded to include individuals from diverse occupational backgrounds, including musicians, comedians, nurses, engineers, teachers, and numerous other professionals. Several prominent political figures participated, including health minister Alexandre Padilha and politician Tabata Amaral, who displayed their credentials as a doctor and political scientist respectively.
Analysts characterized the incident as a significant strategic miscalculation. James Bosworth, a Latin America expert writing on Substack, described it as a “critical error,” noting that the image would likely remain associated with Bolsonaro throughout his political career. He advised politicians against employing similar tactics.
Bolsonaro, son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, has faced longstanding corruption allegations, which he denies, and maintains ties to figures connected to organized crime in Rio de Janeiro. On Monday, Brazilian media reported that federal police were investigating him as part of a money-laundering inquiry. During the debate, Lula challenged Bolsonaro to submit banking and phone records, along with those of close relatives, to electoral authorities to demonstrate his integrity—a challenge Bolsonaro has not yet addressed. Polls indicate Bolsonaro maintains a narrow lead ahead of the runoff scheduled for later this month, having won the first round held on 4 October by approximately 2 million votes.
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