Lula lost a finger while working at a metalworking factory at age 17.
Said by Notícias da Hora, Checked Updated
- Sources
- 3 contradict8 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica TarlovOct 27, 2026
The sources consistently support that Lula lost his left little finger in a workplace accident at a metalworking factory in 1964. They conflict on his age: Wikipedia, the 2024 RTL recap, and Korea Times give 19, while Forbes India, Common Dreams, and Newsminimalist say 17. The claimed age is therefore disputed by the more authoritative sources.
A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.
What was said
… in jail, and Lula snapped back, "I want a hundred percent of them, including your father," which I thought was such a great, you know, quick, witty retort. Um, but I hadn't paid attention to this, so he called Lula nine fingers, and the story behind that is Lula lost a finger at 17, uhm, he was a metal worker, so he lost it at work, and Lula was able to spin that into an attack against Bolsonaro for growing up in a gated community, not knowing what real work is, you know, being part of the elite cabal, the corruption narrative that we're seeing all over the world, and that that had a …
Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Wikipedia, the RTL recap, and Korea Times state Lula was 19 when he lost the finger in 1964, which contradicts the claimed age of 17.[3][4][5]
Supports. Multiple sources say Lula lost his little finger in a workplace accident while working as a metalworker or lathe operator at a factory.[1][2][3][4][6][7][8]
Supports. Some outlets, including Forbes India, Common Dreams, and Newsminimalist, describe him as 17 at the time of the 1964 accident, supporting the claimed age.[9][10][11]
Context. Asianet and the Independent give no clear age, and the AP 2022 piece says he became a metalworker at 14 without giving the injury age.[2][7][12]
Sources
12 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 9 not rated, 1 tier 1
- 1Bolsonaro and Lula clash on living costs, corruption in final Brazil election debatereuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2'Our phoenix': Lula's ups and downs in Brazil defy beliefapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 3Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 4Recap: Brazilian President Lula's long history of health woestoday.rtl.lu · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 5Lula responds to Lee's congratulations on 4th presidential ...koreatimes.co.kr · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6Who is Lula? From ex-worker and prisoner to Brazil's ...bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 7How Brazil's Lula overcame prison, tragedy and losing his ...independent.co.uk · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 8Lula, Brazil's great political survivor, wins again in a deeply ...edition.cnn.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 9Against the tide: Lula's electoral turnaround shows the left can still prevailforbesindia.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 10Lula's Victory Offers Hope for Democracy and the Amazoncommondreams.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 11How Lula lost his finger: 1964 accident resurfaces after ...newsminimalist.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 12Lula da Silva's Iconic Missing Finger Photo After Winning Brazil Presidential Election Goes Viralnewsable.asianetnews.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Checked 2 times
Each check reads the sources again. The newest verdict is the one this page states.
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- Mixed