On 15 October, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took part in a second-round interview with TV Globo's Renata Lo Prete, addressing questions that ranged across government spending, Bolsa Família, the Supreme Court, criminal justice, and the state of relations between Brazil and the Trump administration. On national television, he stated that the administration had fallen short in conveying its record to the electorate.

According to figures from Datafolha's latest poll, published that same evening, Flávio Bolsonaro held a 51–49 advantage in valid votes, with the gap having tightened by two points compared to the prior survey — a shift driven by Lula picking up one percentage point since October 8. With nine days remaining before the October 25 runoff vote, Lula took his place at Estúdios Globo in Rio de Janeiro on a Thursday evening for an interview that ran close to forty minutes, fielding questions about political alliances and addressing areas where his administration had not met its own goals.

Figures from a Datafolha poll released that Thursday put Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) ahead by two percentage points, with 47% of voting intentions against 45% for Lula. Tallying only those ballots that registered a clear preference — setting aside blanks, spoiled papers, and undecided respondents — Bolsonaro's share of the count stood at 51% against his opponent's 49%. A four-point gap in valid votes — 52% against 48% — had separated the two candidates in the opening Datafolha second-round poll, which came out on October 8, with Bolsonaro holding the lead. A two-point gap had opened up between the candidates by the time the interview aired, down from a wider margin recorded seven days earlier.

For the presidential interview's second round, TV Globo placed Renata Lo Prete — who anchors the Jornal da Globo — in the presenter's chair, a change from César Tralli and Renata Vasconcellos, whose earlier session with Lula had drawn audience complaints over the amount of airtime devoted to questions about the president's son, Fábio Luís. A network spokesperson stated that Lo Prete had been slated for the runoff phase from the outset — not as a response to any outside pressure.

Television coverage characterised the exchange as carrying the tone of an informed dialogue, while Vera Magalhães, writing in her analytical capacity, pointed to the energy Lula brought to his delivery as among the more lasting impressions left by the evening. The interview got under way roughly nine minutes past nine in the evening, once the Jornal Nacional had wrapped up.

Government spending was the first contested area Lo Prete chose to address once the runoff campaign opened. Speaking during the broadcast, Lula put forward a position he described as a commitment to protecting funding for lower-income groups. When Lo Prete asked Lula whether the Bolsa Família update had been timed to coincide with the vote, he indicated he had only just learned that the programme had gone without a correction on his watch — a gap he said ran counter to the direction his administration had been pursuing.

The gathering he convened with ministers after learning of the lapse was one he described as not suitable for public disclosure. Supporters of the adjustment characterised it as a long-delayed fix rather than a politically timed benefit.

Faced with Lo Prete's question about the gap between government-reported results and what voters encounter day to day, Lula responded directly. Before a nationwide television audience, he stated that the administration had fallen short in conveying its record — and that the burden of that shortcoming rested with him.

During the exchange, Lo Prete turned attention to the Supreme Court, drawing a contrast between Lula's pattern of broad public commentary on the STF and his tendency to stay away from questions tied to particular justices and the controversies around them. His remarks — affirming the body's right to govern itself without committing to an outright position — left the question of a formal declaration unresolved.

During the same interview, Lula came out in support of reducing the minimum age at which young people can be held criminally accountable for the most serious offences — a stance that marks a departure from the positions he had taken in earlier electoral runs. Turning to foreign affairs, Lula characterised the bilateral relationship with the Trump administration as one that had remained workable through two years of tariffs on Brazilian exports, while noting that Brazil holds reciprocal trade instruments should talks reach an impasse and has already offset the loss of American market access by cultivating new commercial partnerships in other regions.

A debate over legislative tactics produced the night's most pointed back-and-forth. Lo Prete raised the question of whether Lula's path forward depended on the kind of broad centrist backing that had underpinned his earlier administrations, particularly if the incoming Congress proved less accommodating toward his legislative priorities. Lula countered that framing by pointing to a parliamentary record in which 99% of his policy agenda — tax reform among the items approved — had made it through the legislature, and the exchange went on to generate some of the highest replay numbers of the broadcast.

An appearance by Flávio Bolsonaro on Lo Prete's programme had been set for 16 October. A Band-led debate broadcast across multiple networks, pencilled in for 18 October, was set to place the two candidates on a shared stage for the first time — an appearance Bolsonaro publicly confirmed four days beforehand. A concluding Globo televised encounter is scheduled for 23 October, with Bolsonaro's team yet to confirm whether he will take part, leaving that question open just 48 hours ahead of polling day.