Trump falsely claims India held presidential election
Donald Trump incorrectly asserted that 125 million people voted in an Indian presidential election on October 4, 2026, a date that matches Brazil's election.
Donald Trump falsely claimed that 125 million people voted in India's presidential election on Sunday, October 4, 2026. There was no presidential election in India on that date.
Trump made the assertion in a post on his Truth Social platform. He used the claim to allege corruption in American elections and to push for the passage of the SAVE America Act, which would impose nationwide voter identification requirements.
Brazil's actual election context
Brazil held the first round of its presidential election on October 4, 2026. The country's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) recorded 125.27 million valid votes in that first round.
No candidate secured a majority, triggering a run-off election scheduled for October 25, 2026, between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro. Brazil's election results were released progressively after voting ended at 5 pm local time.
How India actually elects its president
India does not elect its president by direct nationwide vote. The current President of India, Droupadi Murmu, took office in July 2022.
India's president is elected by an Electoral College composed of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and state legislative assemblies. The system uses proportional representation via a single transferable vote.
Trump's pattern of using foreign examples to push U.S. Voting reforms
Trump has repeatedly cited India's election system to advocate for U.S. Electoral reforms. On August 17, 2026, he claimed India's Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked his administration, "How can you have Elections in the U.S. Without a valid Photo ID."
In that same August post, Trump claimed India's last election had 646 million voters, with less than one percent voting by mail and every voter required to have a valid photo identity document. He has promoted the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register, impose nationwide voter ID, and limit mail-in voting.
Trump compared this to U.S. Elections, claiming results in cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and California take weeks to calculate. He stated, "Voting in America is CORRUPT" and called the process a rig. Trump urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act now, based on his claims about India's election system.
