‘125 million voted’: Trump makes India presidential election blunder amid Brazil polls
US President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to mistake India for Brazil while commenting on the South American country’s presidential election. The apparent mix-up came as Trump was commenting on the electoral process and alleging that elections in the US were “corrupt.”
Trump claimed that “125 million people voted today in the first round of India’s presidential election.” However, the post appeared to refer to Brazil’s presidential election, with no such election taking place in India.
‘125 million voted’: Trump
In a Truth Social post, Trump said, “125 Million People voted today in the first round of India’s Presidential Election. The results came out shortly after the vote closed, on the SAME DAY.”
Trump then compared the voting process with elections in places including Detroit and Philadelphia, as well as California, and claimed that US elections are “corrupt”. “Voting in America is CORRUPT,” Trump said, referring to the time taken to count votes in elections across US cities and states.
“In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and numerous other US Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate. Voting in America is CORRUPT,” the US president said.
Trump later corrected the post, replacing the reference to India with Brazil while retaining his criticism of the US voting system. “125 Million People voted today in the first round of Brazil’s Presidential Election. The results came out shortly after the vote closed, on the SAME DAY! In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and numerous other U.S. Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate. Voting in America is CORRUPT!!!” Trump wrote.
India does not hold direct Presidential electionÂ
The reference to India was inaccurate on more than one count. India’s President is not elected through a direct nationwide popular vote; instead. The President is elected by an Electoral College comprising elected members of both Houses of Parliament and elected members of the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories through a system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
In India’s regular elections, voters directly elect members of the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Parliament) and state legislative assemblies.
The Prime Minister is then appointed by the President, usually the leader of the party or coalition commanding a majority in the Lok Sabha, while chief ministers are appointed by state governors, usually the leader of the party or coalition commanding a majority in the state assembly.
India had nearly 980 million registered electors in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Trump lauds India’s election system
Earlier in August, Trump had cited Indian elections, particularly the country’s voter identification system, to push for electoral reforms in the US. In a post on Truth Social, Trump had said India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, had recently questioned how elections could be conducted in the US without requiring voters to present a valid photo identification card.
The US President made these remarks to drum up support for the SAVE America Act, which would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote, impose a nationwide voter identification requirement and severely limit voting by mail. “Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration – How can you have Elections in the US without a valid Photo ID?” Trump said on August 17.
“India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than one per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document.” “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now,” he had then asserted in a social media post.
(With PTI inputs)
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