Brazil candidate Flavio Bolsonaro's 'corrupto' palm stunt backfires into a viral meme before the runoff
Trying to wound his rival in a television debate ahead of Brazil's presidential election runoff, far-right candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has instead become the butt of jokes on social media. In the debate he held up his palm to the cameras with the word 'corrupto' — Portuguese for corrupt — written on it.
The idea, at least as he and his publicists seem to have intended, was to draw viewers' attention to the alleged corruption of his leftwing opponent, incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
But many of the programme's millions of viewers took the gesture the opposite way after Sunday night's debate, sarcastically reading the word on his hand as an admission about himself.
Lula supporters then began posting photographs of their own self-descriptions inked on their palms, and the trend spread quickly across the country.
John Ulhoa, guitarist with the pop rock band Pato Fu, jokingly described himself as a 'musician (and a hunk)'. Emmy-winning comedian Antonio Tabet introduced himself to his 2.8 million followers on X as an artist.
Carlos Marcio used both palms to portray himself as a cellist and author. Obstetric nurse Carla Emanuela Sacramento posted a photograph of herself in protective equipment with the words 'primary health care nurse' proudly written on her right palm.
Prominent politicians also jumped on the trend. Lula's health minister, infectious disease specialist Alexandre Padilha, noted on his palm that he was a doctor, while Tabata Amaral identified herself as a political scientist and astrophysicist.
All across the country, librarians, oil workers, engineers, journalists, architects, pilots, psychologists, seamstresses, street cleaners, teachers, influencers and police officers used ballpoint pens to inscribe their professions on their skin and join the wave.
Writing on Substack, Latin America expert James Bosworth called Bolsonaro's stunt a 'critical error' in his bid for power. What may have seemed an inspired pre-debate gimmick instead gave the world a meme image that will stick with him for the rest of his political career, he said, advising politicians: don't write the word 'corrupto' on your hand and show it to the audience.
Flavio is the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro. The 45-year-old senator has long faced corruption accusations, although he denies them and has never been convicted. When two allies were arrested last week for alleged involvement with the Red Command drug faction, he voiced surprise and said the men had the right to prove their innocence.
On Monday, Brazilian media reported that Bolsonaro was being investigated by the federal police as part of a money-laundering inquiry.
Lula, whose Workers' Party has also been involved in major corruption scandals, used Sunday's debate to throw down a challenge: he would give electoral authorities access to his banking and phone records, and those of close relatives, to prove he is not corrupt — if Bolsonaro agreed to do the same.
Polls suggest Bolsonaro holds a slender advantage ahead of Sunday's second-round runoff, and he won the October 4 first round by more than two million votes. He has yet to respond to Lula's challenge.
