RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ’s government summoned Argentina’s representative in the country after Flávio Bolsonaro fled to the U.S. via Argentina, marking the latest episode in tense relations between South America’s two powerhouses.
Brazil’s foreign ministry asked for explanations on Thursday afternoon after the defeated presidential candidate passed through Argentina on his way to Miami, according to a diplomatic source who requested anonymity as they were not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.
Argentine President Javier Milei backed Bolsonaro in the presidential election won by Lula on Sunday and is yet to acknowledge the leftist’s win, differentiating himself from other Trump allies in the region who quickly congratulated the incumbent.
Bolsonaro, who is under investigation in Brazil over allegations of corruption and money laundering, refused to concede and has called the elections fraudulent, without providing evidence. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, also refused to acknowledge his 2022 loss to Lula and is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup.
Under Milei and Lula, Argentina and Brazil have had a rocky relationship, which took a decisive turn for the worse in July when Brazil recalled its ambassador to Argentina after Milei insulted Brazilian officials while in the country.
Milei was in Sao Paulo participating in the event confirming Bolsonaro’s presidential bid when he called Lula a “thief” and “delinquent,” among other things.
Argentina also recalled its ambassador to Brazil. The interests in both countries are represented by a lower diplomatic rank, known as chargés d’affaires.
Brazil’s top diplomat João Marcelo, the director of the ministry’s South America department, summoned Argentina’s chargé d’affaires María Emilia Cortés for a brief meeting, the source said.
Milei has not commented on Bolsonaro's journey, but presidential spokesperson Juan Pablo Carreira said on social media that the administration rescued Bolsonaro “from the claws of communism, which seeks to imprison all opposition figures.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has called Brazil’s election “rigged” and “very strange,” but shied away from calling Bolsonaro president-elect. Instead, Trump said he has given Bolsonaro a “pass” to come into the country.
“I won’t get involved,” said Trump, whose administration approved U.S. visas for Bolsonaro and his family this week.
In Bolsonaro's first comments since fleeing Brazil, he thanked both Milei and Trump. “I want to thank President Milei, for the courage, sense of justice and legality, and Trump and the marvelous American people for welcoming me,” he said.
Bolsonaro, 45, is the target of two investigations involving allegations of corruption and money laundering.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, speaks and gestures during a televised presidential debate one week before the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Flávio Bolsonaro arrives at Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Opa-locka, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
WASHINGTON (AP) — As early voting surges across the country, President Donald Trump is reshuffling his weekend schedule to rally Republicans in two states with critical Senate races, underscoring his party’s push to drive turnout before Election Day.
The Republican president will now visit Iowa and Kansas for back-to-back campaign rallies on Sunday. Both events had previously been canceled for a slew of telerallies, but Trump said he then received calls from “my friends” in those states and “they said, ‘if you can go, you would be better than a telerally.’”
The last-minute reversal comes as Americans engage briskly in early voting. Nearly 10 million more Americans had cast ballots five days before Election Day than at the same point in 2022, according to an Associated Press analysis of voting data. The increases have been particularly pronounced in states with competitive Senate races, including Iowa and Kansas, where early voting is up roughly 30%.
Democrats and Republicans each hope that rise favors them as they fight for control of Congress in an election that has turned largely on affordability issues and the president's unpopularity. At the start of the month, Trump promised a marathon sprint of his signature rallies to shore up Republican candidates, and he has headlined 25 of them so far in October. On Friday night, he was slated to hold a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The president on Thursday furiously pushed back at the notion that the initial cancellation of his Kansas rally, which became public as he was returning to Washington from a campaign event in South Carolina, was tied to fatigue or his health. He lashed out at a reporter who asked about the change in his plans for Kansas, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is seeking reelection.
“I’m not going to Kansas because he’s doing very well,” Trump said, seeming to refer to Marshall. The president added that “I feel perfect."
Trump’s original plans had him in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday and in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday. Then the plans shifted so he would instead do a “72-hour sprint” of phone rallies, meant so the president could reach more voters nationwide, according to the Republican National Committee.
The president’s schedule remained in flux on Friday. His Iowa appearance was moved from Dubuque to Cedar Rapids, only for plans to shift back to Dubuque hours later, according to a person familiar with the planning who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Republican National Committee later confirmed that Trump would campaign in Dubuque, Iowa, and Salina, Kansas.
Both Kansas and Iowa are home to battleground Senate races that will help determine whether Republicans hold onto their narrow majority in the chamber in the midterm elections.
Trump has already traveled to both states this month to boost Marshall in Kansas and Republican Iowa Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, who currently serves in the House.
Trump told a Kansas City radio station Friday that Marshall is “fantastic” and credited the senator for pushing his administration on policies benefiting Kansas farmers such as expanding tax-free use of red-dyed diesel.
Trump criticized Marshall's Democratic challenger, Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton, as a "radical” who has “caused turmoil with the church because he’s so liberal.” Hamilton has said that if Jesus were standing before them now, “Roger Marshall would call him ‘woke.’”
Early voting is significantly outpacing the last midterm election, with millions more Americans casting ballots in advance.
In Texas, where voters are deciding closely watched Senate, House and governor’s races, more than 6.3 million Texans had voted early as of Wednesday, compared with 4.2 million at the same point four years ago, a 50% increase.
Advance voting has also increased more than 30% from the same point four years ago in Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas, states with competitive Senate races. In South Carolina, where voters are choosing a successor to the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, early voting is up 83%.
Historic amounts of money have flowed into this year's midterm elections. Republicans have expressed concerns about their voters not turning out in the midst of voter dissatisfaction with Trump and high costs, issues Democrats have focused on in their campaigns.
Michigan Democrats hoped to put a bruising Senate primary behind them after progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in August.
They've had no such luck as Election Day approaches.
Stevens reemerged in the final week before the general election, appearing on CNN to reaffirm that she would vote for El-Sayed while calling on him to repair relations with Jewish and Black voters. Her appearance came hours after her fiance said he would vote for El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
Then on Friday, after agreeing to campaign alongside El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina in Detroit on Sunday, Stevens released a lengthy statement on social media criticizing her former rival once again. She called on him to condemn an advertisement linking U.S. support for Israel to rising grocery prices and address concerns about his past rhetoric.
“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens wrote. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
El-Sayed has apologized for some of his past comments while attempting to unify Democrats.
Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard contributed to this report. Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/elections.
U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, right, shakes hands with a veteran during a campaign stop at Jethro's BBQ, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a campaign rally at the UAW Local 600 union hall, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Democratic candidate U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff hugs a supporter during a campaign event on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Decatur, Ga. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
FILE - Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks alongside President Donald Trump during an event at the General Motors Proving Ground, July 27, 2026, in Milford, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
A woman holds a U.S. flag-themed fan during a campaign event for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Mark Felix)
President Donald Trump greets Iowa U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, at a campaign rally at Sioux Gateway Airport, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at a campaign rally at Sioux Gateway Airport, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at the Shoemaker Center at Ohio University Chillicothe in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
