Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump
Plínio Vicentin Júnior is running for Congress, impersonating the former US president.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump
Photograph: HuffPost (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Plínio Vicentin Júnior is running for Congress in Brazil, impersonating Donald Trump.
- Other novelty candidates include those impersonating Barack Obama and Mick Jagger.
- Brazil's tradition of novelty candidates dates back to 1959.
- Votes for these candidates can benefit their parties under Brazil's proportional representation system.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 11 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
59/100
Hype
20/100
11 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 11 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Plínio Vicentin Júnior, a 59-year-old helicopter pilot, is running for Congress in Brazil. He is channeling former US President Donald Trump, adopting his hairstyle, long orange tie, and mannerisms. Júnior campaigns as "Plínio Trump" in the state of Minas Gerais. He told The Associated Press that Trump is "likeable, iconic" and that most people smile at him.
Candidates like Júnior are part of a Brazilian tradition of "joke" or protest candidates that has existed for nearly eight decades. These candidates must belong to a political party and meet the same eligibility requirements as others. This year, hundreds of such candidates are among more than 7,800 running for Congress.
The votes cast for novelty candidates contribute to their parties' totals under Brazil's proportional representation system. This means that votes for these candidates can help their parties win more seats in Congress and secure more public funds. Political science professor Carlos Melo stated that this system allows some candidates to win seats with their own votes, while others merely add to their parties' totals.
Other novelty candidates in the current election cycle include Henrique Barack Obama, born Cláudio Henrique dos Anjos, who is seeking a Senate seat, and Walcy Calixto Vieira, known as Mick Jagger, who is running for a seat in the legislature of the state of Goias. Samurai Taxi Driver, whose real name is Severino Cardoso Sobrinho, is also running for a state legislature.
Brazil's tradition of novelty candidates dates back to 1959, when voters wrote in the name of Cacareco, a rhinoceros from the city zoo, for a city council election. The practice saw a resurgence after Brazil's return to national elections in 1989. A notable example is Tiririca, a circus clown who won a congressional seat in 2010 with over 1.3 million votes and has served multiple terms.
Disagreement on candidate's party
Plínio Vicentin Júnior is running with the Novo Party, according to WBAL. However, the full report from HuffPost does not specify which party Júnior is running with.
What the coverage left out
None of the left or centre-rated reports mention the specific number of votes Plínio Vicentin Júnior is aiming for, nor do they provide details on the specific congressional seat he is contesting beyond "for Congress."
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 30 Sept 2026, 17:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports led on Plínio Vicentin Júnior's impersonation of Donald Trump and the broader tradition of novelty candidates in Brazil. The reports highlighted figures like Júnior, Henrique Barack Obama, and Mick Jagger. They also detailed the historical roots of this tradition, mentioning the rhinoceros Cacareco from 1959 and the clown Tiririca, who won a congressional seat. The proportional representation system and how votes for novelty candidates benefit their parties were also explained.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports focused on the novelty candidates themselves, naming Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger, and Samurai Taxi Driver as examples. These reports noted that these candidates bring a "surreal element" to elections by impersonating famous figures. The tradition of joke candidates in Brazil, which dates back decades, was also mentioned as a way for voters to express frustration with the political system. The role these candidates play in boosting their parties' votes and securing public funds was also a point of emphasis.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump?
- Of the 11 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 36% are rated left, 64% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 11 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump biased?
- Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump is one event reported by 11 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump?
- 11 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Who is Plínio Vicentin Júnior?
- Plínio Vicentin Júnior is a 59-year-old helicopter pilot running for Congress in Brazil. He is impersonating former US President Donald Trump, adopting his hairstyle, attire, and mannerisms as part of his campaign.
- What is the tradition of novelty candidates in Brazil?
- Brazil has a long tradition of "joke" or protest candidates who impersonate famous figures or adopt unusual personas. This practice dates back to 1959 and allows voters to express dissatisfaction with the political system. Candidates like the circus clown Tiririca have successfully won congressional seats.
- How do novelty candidates affect Brazilian elections?
- Votes cast for novelty candidates are added to their political parties' totals under Brazil's proportional representation system. This can help their parties gain more seats in Congress and increase their share of public funds, even if the novelty candidate does not win their individual seat.
Read it at the source
11 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- Brazil congressional candidate channels Donald Trump to draw votes (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Brazil's Tradition Of Joke Candidates Is Alive And Kicking (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
HuffPost — is HuffPost biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Plinio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's tradition of joke candidates alive (opens The Washington Post in a new tab)
The Washington Post — is The Washington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil’s tradition of joke candidates alive (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
7- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's t (opens WBAL in a new tab)
- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's tradition of joke candidates alive (opens Newsday in a new tab)
- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's tradition of joke candidates alive (opens Chronicle Online in a new tab)
Chronicle Online — is Chronicle Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's tradition of joke candidates alive (opens KPRC-TV in a new tab)
- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's tradition of joke candidates alive (opens KOB 4 in a new tab)
- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's tradition of joke candidates alive (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Plínio Trump, Mick Jagger and Samurai Taxi Driver keep Brazil's tradition of joke candidates alive (opens WPLG in a new tab)
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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