Aug. 7 (UPI) — President Donald Trump‘s sweeping new tariffs on dozens of nations went into effect early Thursday following months of delays and threats from the American leader.
“IT”S MIDNIGHT!!! BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TARIFFS ARE NOW LOWING INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform announcing the levies were now in effect.
The American president has long relied on tariffs as a punishment, a negotiating tool and a measure to right what he views as negative trade imbalances that the United States has with other countries.
He has described these deficits as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States’ national security and economy.
Under the executive order he signed last week, most countries’ imports to the United States will be subjected to a baseline 10% tariff, which went into effect at midnight Wednesday. Other governments, such as South Korea, the European Union, Britain and Japan, will have more complicated and different tariff rates as they rushed to make deals with the Trump administration ahead of last month’s deadline.
Brazil, for instance is facing a total 50% tariff after Trump slapped a 40% levy against it over the prosecution of his ally, former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
He also raised tariffs to 50% on India on Wednesday over the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
Canada, the United States’ closest partner, was hit with a 35% tariff, up from 25%.
On Wednesday, Trump also announced he would be imposing a 100% tariff on semiconductor chips.
According to the nonpartisan Yale Budget Lab think tank, U.S. consumers will face an overall average effective tariff rate of 17.3% — the highest since 1935, during the Great Depression.
The think tanks states that the average per-household income loss will be $2,400 this year. Textiles and clothing will be disproportionally affected by the tariffs, with consumers expected to face 40% higher costs for shoes and 38% higher prices for apparel.
Meanwhile, the nonpartisan Tax Foundation states that Trump’s tariffs could raise $2.1 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years, but will reduce total revenue raised by $1.6 trillion and reduce GDP by 0.8%.
Despite what analysts say, the Trump administration has been bullish on the tariffs, saying they will generate billions for the United States.
During a press conference at the White House with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday, Trump said, “I think we’ll be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs.”
“We have a great country. We have a country that is going to be very rich. It’s a country that we’re very proud of, but it’s going to be very rich,” Trump said.
Trump initially announced the so-called reciprocal tariffs in April but then paused them for all countries but China for 90 days to allow time for the governments to hash out deals with the United States. In July, he delayed them again until Aug. 1. Then a day before the tariffs were to go into effect, he pushed their deadline a week.
Aug. 5 (UPI) — Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, prompting swift condemnation from the Trump administration, which has imposed penalties against those prosecuting President Donald Trump‘s ally.
Bolsonaro is being prosecuted on charges of conspiring to overturn his 2022 election loss.
In his order Monday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the house arrest of Bolsonaro on allegations he violated court-imposed precautionary measures by using the social media accounts of allies, including his three sons, one of whom is a congressman, to post statements online.
Moraes described the social media posts as a “continued attempt to coerce the STF and obstruct justice.” STF stands for Supremo Tribunal Federal, or Supreme Federal Court, in Portuguese.
“The arrest is to be served at Bolsonaro’s residence in Brasilia. He will not be allowed to receive visitors, except for his lawyers and other individuals previously authorized by the STF,” the order states. “The former president is also prohibited from using a cell phone, either directly or through third parties.”
A search and seizure of any cell phones in Bolsonaro’s possession was also ordered by Moraes, who is overseeing the criminal case.
“There is no doubt that Jair Messias Bolsonaro violated the precautionary measures imposed on him, as the defendant produced material for publication on the social media accounts of his three sons and all his followers and political supporters, with clear content encouraging and inciting attacks on the Supreme Federal Court and openly supporting foreign intervention in the Brazilian judiciary,” Moraes said.
Trump, who has similarly been accused of trying to overturn his own election loss, in 2020, is an ally of Bolsonaro, and has repeatedly used his executive powers to punish those involved in the 70-year-old politician’s prosecution, which has prompted accusations of meddling in Brazil’s judicial system.
The U.S. State Department on Monday night condemned the house arrest order as Moraes’ alleged continued use of “Brazil’s institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy.”
“Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public it not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!” the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in both English- and Portuguese-language statements.
“The United States condemns Moraes’ order imposing house arrest on Bolsonaro and will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct.”
Brazil charged Bolsonaro in February with attempting a coup following his 2022 election loss to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. According to court documents, his supporters claiming voter fraud stormed Brazil’s Congress and other federal facilities on Jan. 8, 2023.
The indictment accuses Bolsonaro of spreading debunked claims of fraud in election machines as far back as July 2022 in order to prepare conditions for the coup. As part of the scheme, prosecutors said they even planned the possibility of assassinating Lula.
Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing, while Trump has described the trial as a “witch hunt.”
The ex-president, accused of seeking to overturn the 2022 election that he lost, has been backed by US President Donald Trump.
Supporters of former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have rallied across the main cities of the country against the Supreme Court coup trial that could land the ex-leader in prison for years.
Protesters in Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities on Sunday carried Brazilian and the United States flags, in an apparent reference to United States President Donald Trump’s support for a staunch ally.
They also held banners with Bolsonaro’s and Trump’s pictures on them as they shouted slogans.
Bolsonaro is accused of seeking to overturn the 2022 election won by his left-wing opponent, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil’s congress in January 2023, ransacking the chambers and attacking police, in violent scenes that evoked Trump supporters’ attack on the US Capitol two years before.
A Brazilian general has given evidence that the alleged plotters also wanted to assassinate leftist Lula and several other public officials.
The prosecution told the court that former army officer Bolsonaro and seven others were guilty of participating in “armed criminal association” and had sought to “violently overthrow the democratic order”.
A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. A conviction on that and other charges could bring decades behind bars for Bolsonaro.
The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and asserted that he is the target of political persecution.
‘A witch hunt’
Bolsonaro says he is the victim of political persecution, echoing Trump’s defence when the US president faced criminal charges before his White House return.
Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew, reporting from Sao Paolo, said that protesters were thanking Trump for his support.
“There are a lot of American flags here and people are saying ‘Thank you Trump’,” she said.
“They are thanking President Trump for sanctioning Brazil,” Yanakiew added.
Trump has slammed the trial a “witch hunt” and his Treasury Department has sanctioned Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in response.
Brazil has strongly criticised the US decision to impose sanctions on de Moraes.
Trump has openly admitted he is punishing Brazil for prosecuting his political ally Bolsonaro. He also signed an executive order slapping 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports, citing Bolsonaro’s “politically motivated persecution.”
Protesters gathered on the streets of Brazil on Friday to denounce Trump for the steep tariffs he imposed on the country’s exports. The demonstrations erupted in cities like Sao Paulo and Brasilia, as residents voiced their anger on the first day of Trump’s latest tariff campaign.
Protesters have gathered on the streets of Brazil to denounce United States President Donald Trump for the steep tariffs he imposed on the country’s exports.
The demonstrations on Friday erupted in cities like Sao Paulo and Brasilia, as residents voiced their anger on the first day of Trump’s latest tariff campaign.
Last month, on July 9, Trump announced he planned to hike the import tax on Brazilian products to 50 percent, in response to a list of political complaints, chief among them the prosecution of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
A far-right leader and former army captain who served as president from 2019 to 2023, Bolsonaro faces trial for allegedly attempting to orchestrate a coup d’etat against his successor, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
A federal police investigation culminated in a 2024 report that suggested Bolsonaro and his allies sought to undermine the results of the 2022 election, which he narrowly lost to Lula.
Among the possibilities they reportedly considered was declaring a “state of siege” to suspend civil liberties and force the military to intervene. That, in turn, would pave the way for new elections.
Another idea that was allegedly floated was to poison Lula and shoot Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had denounced Bolsonaro for spreading false information about the 2022 election process.
De Moraes ultimately oversaw the investigation into Bolsonaro’s alleged coup attempt, making him a prominent target for Bolsonaro’s supporters.
Trump counts himself among them. In his July 9 letter announcing the tariffs, he drew a line from his tariff hike to Brazil’s treatment of Bolsonaro, alleging that the prosecution was politically motivated.
“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace,” Trump wrote.
“This trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”
Trump also accused the Brazilian Supreme Court of censoring right-wing voices and launching “insidious attacks on Free Elections”. Trump himself has been accused of seeking to undermine the results of the US’s 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
To defend Bolsonaro, Trump has gone so far as to sanction de Moraes, freezing his US-based assets and revoking his visa.
But critics have accused Trump of seeking to interfere with Brazil’s judicial process. Some have described the tariff hike and the sanctions against de Moraes as a pressure campaign to force Brazilian prosecutors to drop the case against Bolsonaro.
On the streets of Sao Paulo on Friday, protesters burned a pair of effigies — one representing Trump, the other Bolsonaro, positioned together in an embrace. Placards waved, some featuring Trump with devil horns protruding from his forehead and cartoons of de Moraes flicking Trump his middle finger.
A banner, meanwhile, featured the slogan: “Sovereignty is not negotiable.” Brazilian flags abounded on signs and T-shirts.
De Moraes himself issued a statement, saying Trump’s sanctions would not interfere with his duties. “This rapporteur will ignore the sanctions applied to him and continue working as he has been doing.”
July 31 (UPI) — President Donald Trump formalized his reciprocal tariffs policy on Thursday, imposing stiff levies on dozens of nations while making good on his promise to use the economic measure to try and balance what he sees as negative trade deficits with U.S. trading partners.
The American president signed an executive order putting a 10% tariff on most trading partners, aside from a handful with whom recent deals have either been made with or are pending.
Trump has long turned to economic tariffs as a bargaining tool, both as a negotiation tactic and as an attempt to spur the domestic manufacturing industry. Since returning to the White House in January, the New York real estate mogul has railed against trade deficits, often framing them as examples of trading partners taking advantage of the United States.
The executive order was signed hours before a White House-imposed deadline for other countries to finalize deals with the United States, while delaying the imposition of the tariffs until Aug. 7. It also permits goods loaded onto shipping vessels prior to Aug. 7 that arrive in the United States before Oct. 5 to be exempt from the levies.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a press conference held Thursday, before the executive order was announced, that the sweeping tariffs apply to all trading partners who have not fashioned “bespoke” deals with the president.
“We promised that the president would negotiate with countries all around the world to cut tailor-made trade deals depending on those countries’ challenges, how badly they’ve ripped off the United States of America and our manufacturing industry and our workforce in the past,” she said.
Countries facing the highest levies under the executive order are Syria at 41%, Myanmar and Laos at 40% and Switzerland at 39%.
Earlier Thursday, Trump announced he was pausing plans to place tariffs on Mexico for 90 days to allow negotiations to progress.
On Wednesday night, he threatened ongoing trade negotiations with Canada over Ottawa’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state. Canada is set to see its tariff go from 25% to 35%.
Recent deals have also been reached with South Korea, the European Union, Britain, Japan and others.
It also comes on the heels of Trump slapping a 40% tariff on Brazilian goods over its prosecution of his ally, former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, for a total of 50%.
“We have never had a president who wields the full power of the United States to negotiate good deals for our country and its people like President Trump,” Leavitt said.
1 of 2 | Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes participates in a June 9 hearing on the criminal case against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. On Friday, de Moraes’ U.S. visa was revoked. Photo by Andre Borges/EPA
July 19 (UPI) — The U.S. visa of the Brazilian judge overseeing the criminal case against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was revoked Friday, four days after President Donald Trump called the South American nation’s treatment of the former leader a “witch hunt.”
“President Trump made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio said in a statement. “Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans.
“I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members effective immediately.”
The visa restriction policy is pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the secretary of state to not allow anyone whose entry into the United States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
Rubio, in a cable to diplomatic and consular posts on Thursday, said public comments on foreign elections “should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noted shared policy interests,” according to The New York Times, which obtained the memo.
Friday, de Moraes accused Bolsonaro and his son, Eduardo, of conspiring to incite U.S. hostilities against Brazil, ordering the former president to wear an ankle bracelet. Bolsonaro was also barred from contacting foreign governments, and blocked from using social media.
The judge also is investigating online misinformation, and has ordered the takedown of social media accounts that violate Brazil’s freedom of speech. In 2024, Elon Musk’s X restored service in the country after paying a $5 million fine and appointed a new legal representative there.
Trump’s social media company, The Trump Media & Technology Group, sued de Moraes in February, accusing him of censoring conservative voices on social media.
The judge is on the judicial panel to preside over Bolsonaro’s trial before Brazil’s Supreme Court, who was indicted in February after the alleged coup.
Bolsonaro has been accused of attempting to violently to retain power after his 2022 election loss to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Lula, in a speech Thursday night, condemned Bolsonaro’s supporters, whom he accused of siding with Trump about the “witch hunt.”
“They’re the true traitors of the homeland,” he said. “They don’t care about the economy of the country or the damage caused to our people.”
On Monday, Trump wrote a letter to Lula threatening a 50% tariff on imported goods, because of how Bolsonaro “has been treated” and an “unfair trade relationship.” Unless there is an agreement, the new rate takes effect on Aug. 1, he wrote.
Trump said that “the way Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. The trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY.”
Trump also noted “Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the Fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans.”
Then on Thursday, he posted on Truth Social a letter sent to Bolsonaro about his “terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you,” demanding an immediate trial.
“It is my sincere hope that the Government of Brazil changes course, stops attacking political opponents, and ends their ridiculous censorship regime. I will be watching closely.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accuses Brazilian Supreme Court judge of creating a ‘persecution, censorship complex’.
Washington will restrict travel visas for Brazilian judicial officials and their immediate family members, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced, over what he called a “political witch-hunt” against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Announcing the move on Friday, Rubio accused Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes of creating a sweeping “persecution and censorship complex” that not only “violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans”.
“I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members, effective immediately,” he said, without providing further details on who would be subject to the measures.
Brazilian newspaper O Globo also reported on Friday, without citing its source, that the US has revoked visas from seven more justices of Brazil’s Supreme Court. If accurate, the only Supreme Court judges not impacted would be Bolsonaro-appointed justices Andre Mendonca and Nunes Marques, and Judge Luiz Fux.
The move by the US comes after Brazil’s Supreme Court issued search warrants and restraining orders against Bolsonaro on Friday, banning him from contacting foreign officials amid allegations he courted US President Donald Trump’s interference in court cases against him.
Explaining his decision, Moraes accused Bolsonaro – who was president from 2019 to 2023 – of attacking Brazil’s sovereignty by encouraging the interference of the “head of state of a foreign nation” in its courts.
Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial relates to charges he attempted to carry out a coup and overturn current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s election victory in January 2023. The coup charges carry a 12-year sentence, and if convicted on other counts, Bolsonaro could spend decades behind bars.
Bolsonaro is now banned from contacting foreign officials, using social media or approaching embassies. He was also prohibited from contacting key allies, including his son Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian congressman working to drum up support for his father in Washington.
Federal police also raided Bolsonaro’s home and headquarters, with authorities ordering him to wear an ankle monitor following Moraes’s ruling that there is a “concrete possibility” he will attempt to flee the country.
Bolsonaro: ‘Trump of the Tropics’
Speaking to the Reuters news agency at his party’s headquarters on Friday, Bolsonaro called Moraes a “dictator” and described the court orders as acts of “cowardice”.
“I feel supreme humiliation,” he said when asked about wearing the ankle monitor. “I am 70 years old. I was president of the republic for four years,” he added.
On Friday afternoon, a five-judge panel of Supreme Court judges reviewed and upheld Moraes’s decision.
Bolsonaro also said he believed the court orders were a reaction to Trump’s criticism of his trial, in the latest indication that Washington’s interventions may be harming rather than helping the former president.
While Bolsonaro denied he planned to leave the country, he also said he would meet with Trump if his passport, seized by police last year, was returned.
When asked about Bolsonaro’s latest comments, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the former Brazilian leader and his supporters are “under attack from a weaponised court system”.
Trump has maintained friendly ties with ideological ally Bolsonaro – known as the “Trump of the Tropics” – since the US leader’s first term from 2017 to 2021.
On Thursday, Trump shared a letter on Truth Social he had sent to Bolsonaro lamenting the embattled former president’s “terrible treatment” at the hands of an “unjust system turned against you”.
Earlier this month, Trump also threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods starting August 1, as he called for Lula’s government to drop the charges against Bolsonaro.
Lula promised to reciprocate, saying “any measure to increase tariffs unilaterally will be responded to in light of Brazil’s Law of Economic Reciprocity”.
In Friday’s court decision, Moraes also said Trump’s threatened tariffs were an attempt to interfere in the country’s judicial system by creating a serious economic crisis in Brazil.
The tariffs – which would hurt key Brazilian sectors like coffee farming, cattle ranching and aviation – have rallied public support behind Lula’s defiant leftist government.
1 of 3 | Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks at a press conference at the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, in March. Brazil’s Supreme Court indicted Bolsonaro for five crimes, with a total sentence of about 40 years in prison, as part of an alleged coup attempt to overturn Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory in the 2022 elections. File Photo by Andre Borges/EPA
July 18 (UPI) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was ordered by his country’s supreme court to wear an ankle monitor, stay home most hours and to stay away from foreign embassies.
Bolsonaro faces prison time for charges that he attempted a coup after he lost the 2022 election.
Brazilian police now accuse Bolsonaro of working with his son, Brazilian lawmaker Eduardo, to lobby the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., and ask the president to impose sanctions on Brazil. The court told Bolsonaro to cease all communication with Eduardo and stay off social media.
Trump has threatened a 50% tariff on Brazilian exports starting Aug. 1, if they don’t end what he calls a “which hunt” against Bolsonaro.
Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Brazil will not cede to an American president, whom he says wants to be an “emperor.”
Thursday night, Trump posted online that police should drop the charges against Bolsonaro. This morning, police raided Bolsonaro’s home and office.
In a statement, Bolsonaro’s legal team said it was “surprised and outraged” by the new precautionary measures “despite the fact that he has always complied with all the orders of the judiciary.”
Bolsonaro’s lawyers expressed “surprise and indignation” at what they called “severe precautionary measures imposed against him.”
The court didn’t agree.
“An attempt to subject the functioning of the federal Supreme Court to the scrutiny of another state constitutes an attack on national sovereignty,” Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in his order.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Bolsonaro called the ankle monitor the “ultimate humiliation.” He said he “never thought of fleeing” Brazil. He repeated that the case against him is a politically motivated effort to remove him from the 2026 election. The New York Times reports that some polls suggest he could narrowly win if eligible.
Last week on Truth Social, Trump said that Brazilian authorities have “done nothing but come after [Bolsonaro], day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year!”
“He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE,” he wrote.
Brazilian Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet released a 517-page document on Monday that called for Bolsonaro to be convicted for his alleged crimes. Bolsonaro could spend decades in prison.
“The evidence is clear: the defendant acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilisation of the democratic rule of law,” Gonet said in the document.
While Trump has maintained a close friendship with Bolsonaro, Brazil and the Lula administration don’t speak highly of Trump.
On Thursday Lula said Trump’s tariff threat lacked logic.
“We cannot have President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the U.S., not to be the emperor of the world,” he said.
Brazilian president says that Donald Trump was elected to lead the US, not to be ‘the emperor of the world’.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that his country will not take instructions from the United States after US President Donald Trump threatened Brazil with 50 percent tariffs and called for an end to the trial of right-wing ally Jair Bolsonaro.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, President Lula said that the tariffs have no “logic” but that he does not believe there is a “crisis” in relations between the US and his country as of yet.
“For me, it was a surprise, not only the value of that tariff, but also how it was announced, the way it was announced,” Lula said. “We cannot have President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the US, not to be the emperor of the world.”
The US president’s heavy-handed approach to economic relations with other countries has chafed foreign leaders such as Lula, who has expressed frustration at what he sees as Trump’s efforts to dictate terms to Brazil on matters of trade and domestic judicial proceedings.
Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil who has close ties with Trump and his family, is currently on trial for alleged efforts to mount a coup and reverse Lula’s victory over him in the 2022 election.
Trump, who also faced legal trouble stemming from his efforts to remain in office after losing an election, has called the trial a “witch hunt” and demanded that it come to an end. He has recently done the same for another right-wing ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The judiciary branch of power in Brazil is independent. The president of the republic has no influence whatsoever,” Lula said, stating that Bolsonaro “is not being judged personally”, but “being judged by the acts he tried to organise a coup d’etat”.
The US has also warned Brazil that it will be penalised with higher tariffs if it continues its work as a leading member of BRICS, a coalition of developing economies that have sought to promote alternatives to the US-backed global financial system.
Trump has attacked the group for “anti-Western priorities” and threatened higher tariffs for any countries involved with the bloc.
In Latin America, where the US has a long history of heavy-handed involvement in the domestic affairs of various nations, Trump’s threats and blunt use of US economic leverage have sparked anger.
“Brazil is to take care of Brazil and take care of the Brazilian people, and to take not to take care of the interests of the others,” Lula said.
“Brazil will not accept anything imposed on it. We accept negotiation and not imposition.”
United States President Donald Trump has threatened Brazil with a 50 percent tariff, citing the criminal charges against its former president and his political ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of plotting a coup.
In a letter to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s current president, Trump said on Wednesday that the treatment of Bolsonaro, who refused to publicly concede the presidential election that he lost to Lula in 2022, “is an international disgrace”.
The letter was one of 22 tariff notices Trump sent this week to various countries. On Monday, the president extended a pause on his sweeping global tariffs from Wednesday to August 1.
For the most part, Trump says he is trying to rebalance large trading deficits, whereby the US imports more from a country than it exports there.
But the US has a trade surplus with Brazil, and the tariff threatened against South America’s largest economy was higher than those received by other countries, which have mostly fallen in the range of 25 to 40 percent.
The escalation in tensions between the US and Brazil came as Lula hosted representatives from China, Russia, Iran and other nations for a BRICS summit of emerging economies in Rio de Janeiro this week.
Leaders attending the summit criticised Trump’s tariffs and the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran, drawing threats from Trump of a 10 percent additional tariff for “anti-American” BRICS-aligned countries.
What has Trump announced in relation to Brazil?
Trump has continued to publish letters informing US trading partners of tariffs planned to begin on August 1 if they can’t reach trade deals with his government before that. So far, he has sent 22 letters to heads of state. More could still come.
While the letters have mostly denounced trade between those countries and the US as “far from reciprocal”, Trump’s letter to Lula was stronger.
He wrote that “due in part to Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans”, he planned to levy a 50 percent tax on Brazilian goods exported to the US.
“Please understand that the 50 percent number is far less than what is needed to have the Level Playing Field we must have with your Country,” Trump added. “And it is necessary to have this to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime.”
He said: “The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace.”
How has Brazil responded?
Lula promised to hit back with tariffs of his own if Trump follows through with his threat.
“Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” Lula said in a post on X.
He added that the criminal case against Bolsonaro, who challenged the outcome of Brazil’s 2022 election, is a matter solely for the justice system and “not subject to interference or threat”.
Lula won a tight presidential race against Bolsonaro in 2022 [Adriano Machado/Reuters]
Why is Trump targeting Brazil when the US has a trade surplus?
According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US imported $42.3bn of goods from Brazil in 2024 and exported $49.7bn.
In short, Brazil’s purchases from the US amounted to roughly $7.4bn more than US purchases from Brazil.
Ever since the announcement of his “Liberation Day” tariffs, on April 2, Trump has consistently stated his desire to reduce America’s trade deficits with its trading partners.
In Trump’s view, deficit countries, such as the US, import goods that could have been produced at home, harming domestic employment and economic growth in the process.
However, “Brazil has historically run a small trade deficit with the US”, said Elizabeth Johnson, an economic analyst at TS Lombard, a strategy and political research firm. “It is very much political. … It is part of the Bolsonaro family’s effort to get Trump to weigh in on the ongoing trial of Jair Bolsonaro.”
Indeed, this is not the first time Trump has used the threat of tariffs to try to alter other countries’ domestic policy decisions.
Since returning to office in January, he has threatened a 25 percent tariff on Colombian goods and said he would double that if the country refused to accept deportees from the US. Colombia ultimately accepted his terms.
What trade does the US do with Brazil?
In 2023, the balance of trade (imports plus exports) between the US and Brazil amounted to $104bn, making Brazil the US’s 15th largest trading partner.
Top US exports to Brazil last year included aircraft and spacecraft (amounting to about $7bn), fossil fuels ($9bn) and industrial machinery such as nuclear reactors and electrical equipment (roughly $10bn), according to US Census Bureau data.
Brazil’s exports to the US in 2023 were led by crude oil and fossil fuels (about $8.8bn), iron and steel products ($5bn) and soya beans ($3.3bn).
What impact could a 50 percent tariff have on Brazil’s economy?
It could severely hurt companies highly exposed to the US market. In particular, firms in the base metals and agricultural sectors could be badly hit.
According to Johnson, Trump’s tariff threat could be a drag on economic growth because the US is Brazil’s second largest export market after China.
Indeed, Goldman Sachs has calculated that Brazil’s exports to the US represent 2 percent of its gross domestic product and Trump’s tariffs could cut its economic growth by 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points.
What impact could this have on the US economy?
If the tariffs are implemented, US firms that buy Brazilian goods would most likely have to find alternative sources for those products, and this could take time.
In the meantime, “the semifinished steel products from Brazil used in American manufacturing mean [that higher tariffs would be] a negative,” Johnson told Al Jazeera.
In addition, “beef, orange juice, coffee” and other farm products travelling from Brazil into the US would become much more expensive, she said.
On the other hand, Johnson suggested, “There’s room for Trump to score a win with Brazil by allowing more ethanol exports into the US, which would help [American] farmers.”
What charges is Bolsonaro facing in Brazil?
Bolsonaro, who was president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023, refused to concede his presidential election loss to his left-wing rival in 2022.
Bolsonaro raised questions about the accuracy of the election result, claiming that some electronic voting machines had been faulty.
Shortly after Lula took office in January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters angered over the election result stormed the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court in the capital, Brasilia.
Now, Bolsonaro is facing criminal charges for allegedly plotting a coup and for alleged actions he took to overturn the 2022 election result.
Bolsonaro and 33 other people were charged this year, and the ex-president’s case is being heard by the Supreme Court. He could face 40 years in prison if found guilty.
Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing and has framed the trial as a politically motivated attack.
Trump, who also falsely claimed he had beaten Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, had faced criminal charges related to seeking to overturn that election. His supporters also stormed the US Capitol before Biden took office, seeking to stop the certification of the election results.
Trump has highlighted what he regards as parallels between himself and Bolsonaro. On Monday, he wrote on social media that he empathised with what was happening to Bolsonaro: “It happened to me, times 10.”
Which other countries were notified of new tariffs?
Other than Brazil, recipients of tariff letters on Wednesday included the Philippines, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Libya, Algeria and Iraq. They were notified of tariffs as high as 30 percent.
The rates Trump said would be imposed on Sri Lanka, Moldova, Iraq and Libya were lower than those he initially announced in early April.
Tariffs on goods from the Philippines and Brunei were higher. The rate for goods from Algeria remained the same.
Trump has said companies that move production to the US will be exempt from tariffs. But he also warned that if countries retaliate, they could face even higher US duties.
The US and its largest trading partners have been negotiating trade deals since Trump announced the tariffs. But so far, only Vietnam and the United Kingdom have reached new deals while a partial agreement has been reached with China.
More recently, Trump administration officials have indicated that deals with India and the European Union may be imminent.
July 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday informed seven more nations about new tariffs, singling out Brazil with a 50% duty because of what he called the “disgrace” of how former President Jair Bolsonaro has been treated and an “unfair trade relationship.”
Other nations told about rates effective Aug. 1 were the Philippines 20%, Moldova 25% and Brunei 25%, and Algeria, Libya and Iraq at 30% on goods they ship to the United States.
Trump so far has sent letters to 21 nations with seven on Monday. They all had standard language in the two-page letters, except for the one to Brazil.
Trump told current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a letter posted on Truth Social that “the way Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. The trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY.”
Bolsonaro, who faces charges that he plotted to overturn his 2022 election loss against Lula, has been referred to as the “Trump of the tropics.”
Trump also noted “Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the Fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans.”
And he said the United States also is launching an investigation into potential unfair trade practices by Brazil, Trump wrote in the letter.
He said the South American nation’s trade policies have caused “unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States,” which threaten the U.S. economy and national security.
On April 2 on “Liberation Day,” Brazil was among most U.S. trading partners imposed a 10% baseline tariff. Brazil was not among the nations threatened with harsher reciprocal tariffs but on Monday, Trump threatened an additional 10% tariffs on BRICS nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. The other BRICS nations are Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
Tariffs has not sent letters to the BRICS nations except a 30% one for South Africa and 32% for Indonesia.
The United States’ big imports from Brazil include crude petroleum and refined petroleum products, iron and steel, machinery and agricultural products, including fruit and vegetable juices, and meats.
“Please note that the 50% number is far less than what is needed to have the Level Playing Field we must have with your country,” Trump wrote. “And it is necessary to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime. As you are aware, there will be no Tariff if Brazil, or companies within your country, decide to build of manufacture within the United States, and we will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely, in other words, in a matter of weeks.”
On Tuesday, he signed an executive order that officially pushed back the implementation date from July 9 to Aug. 1. He said there will be no more extensions. Trump originally intended the harder penalties to take effect earlier but on April 9 he paused it 90 days.
The new tarriffs, except for Brazil, range from 20% to 40% with the latter imposed on Laos and Myanmar.
Among major trading partners, Japan and Korea were slapped with 25% duties.
The letters state that the 25% tariffs are separate from sector-specific duties on key product categories.
On Tuesday, Trump announced a 50% tariff on imported copper after 50% imposed in June on steel and aluminum.
“These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump wrote in the letters. “You will never be disappointed with the United States of America.”
Trump has yet to impose new tariffs on the 27-member European Union, but has said negotiations were not going well.
Trump also warned that the rates could be higher if they impose retaliatory duties.
In the latters Trump said there will be no tariff in the nation or the company “decide to build or manufacture product within the United States and, in fact, we will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely.”
U.S. stock indexes rose Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average going up 0.49%, Standard and Poor’s 500 rising 0.61% and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite increasing 0.95%.
Two index are just off record highs Thursday — S&P 16 points and Nasdaq 13 points. DJIA is several hundred points off a record on Dec. 4.
Stock indices in the U.S on Monday each dropped less than 1% after the letters were made public.
United States President Donald Trump has taken to social media to defend his fellow right-wing leader, Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president who faces criminal charges for allegedly plotting a coup d’etat.
On Monday, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Bolsonaro’s indictment was an example of political persecution.
“Brazil is doing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Trump said.
“I have watched, as has the World, as they have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year! He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE.”
Trump went on to compare his own legal troubles to Bolsonaro’s. Both leaders have been accused of trying to undermine their country’s elections, following losses.
In Trump’s case, the accusations concern his 2020 race against Democrat Joe Biden. Though Trump lost, prosecutors say he and his allies conspired to defraud voters by pressuring officials to say that he won. The lie culminated in an attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Trump’s supporters sought to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results.
Trump later faced a federal indictment in Washington, DC, and a state-level indictment in Georgia over his actions. The federal charges, however, were dropped once he took office for a second term in January.
Bolsonaro, meanwhile, is facing criminal trial for allegedly masterminding a scheme to retain power after his 2022 election loss to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In the lead-up to the election, Bolsonaro spread falsehoods about the accuracy of Brazil’s voting machines, and afterwards refused to publicly concede defeat. Thousands of his supporters likewise stormed government buildings in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, to protest the outcome.
Prosecutors say police unearthed evidence of a scheme wherein Bolsonaro and his allies plotted to hold onto power by means of a coup, one that would have seen Lula and other officials assassinated.
Both Trump and Bolsonaro have denied wrongdoing. In Monday’s posts, Trump said that both of their cases reflected a politically motivated “WITCH HUNT” designed to dim their popularity among voters.
“This is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent – Something I know much about! It happened to me, times 10,” Trump wrote. “The Great People of Brazil will not stand for what they are doing to their former President.”
He appeared to end his post with a call for Bolsonaro’s re-election: “The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil – It’s called an Election. LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!”
Bolsonaro, however, has been barred from running for office for eight years, a period which expires in 2030. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court issued the punishment in a separate case in 2023 after it found Bolsonaro had abused his power by using government offices to spread doubt about the country’s voting machines.
Trump and Bolsonaro have long faced comparisons with one another. They both took office for a first term in 2017, and both lost their initial re-election attempt. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has been referred to as the “Trump of the tropics”.
Critics have long speculated that Trump may seek to intervene in Brazil’s prosecution of the far-right leader through political pressure.
Earlier this year, for example, the Trump Media and Technology Group joined a lawsuit in Florida against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, arguing that a recent decision from the judge amounted to the censorship of right-wing voices.
De Moraes has overseen the criminal case against Bolsonaro and is considered a target of ire for Brazil’s right.
In a social media response on Monday, President Lula indicated that Trump’s social media missive could be viewed as an attempt to interfere with the Brazilian justice system.
Though he mentioned neither Trump nor Bolsonaro by name, Lula, a left-wing leader, rejected the advice of those who sought to influence the ongoing trial from abroad.
“The defence of democracy in Brazil is a matter for Brazilians to deal with. We are a sovereign country. We do not accept interference or tutelage from anyone,” Lula wrote. “We have solid and independent institutions. No one is above the law. Especially those who threaten freedom and the rule of law.”
Bolsonaro, on the other hand, took to social media to thank Trump explicitly for his words of support.
“I thank the illustrious President and friend. You went through something similar. You were relentlessly persecuted, but you won for the good of the United States and dozens of other truly democratic countries,” Bolsonaro wrote, reflecting on how “happy” he was to see Trump’s note.
Bolsonaro used the occasion to once again proclaim his innocence and blast his political opponents as puppeteering the trial.
“This process to which I am responding is a legal aberration (Lawfare), clear political persecution,” he said.
The former president could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Legal woes hang over the former president, who has called for several demonstrations in support of himself in recent months.
Facing serious legal jeopardy with potentially years of incarceration over an alleged coup plot being tried by the nation’s Supreme Court, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has attended a protest by his supporters.
Around 2,000 people attended the rally on Sunday in Sao Paolo.
On Saturday night, the far-right ex-leader told his followers on the AuriVerde Brasil YouTube channel that “Brazil needs all of us. It’s for freedom, for justice”. He urged supporters to march through Sao Paulo’s Paulista Avenue on Sunday.
“This is a call for us to show strength … this massive presence will give us courage,” he declared.
In February, Bolsonaro, 70, who led the country from 2019 to 2022, was charged with five counts of planning to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result, which current president, the left-wing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, won. Thirty-three of Bolsonaro’s closest allies were also charged.
Earlier this month, Bolsonaro testified for the first time before the nation’s Supreme Court, denying any involvement in the alleged coup plot.
The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the targets of a rioting mob known as “Bolsonaristas” – who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust President Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
Police have referred to the demonstration as an uprising and an attempt to force military intervention and depose Lula.
Bolsonaro claims that the various cases against him are politically motivated, aimed at preventing him from making a comeback in the 2026 elections.
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court ruled last year that due to an abuse of Bolsonaro’s political power and his baseless claims about the country’s electronic voting system, he would be banned from holding office until 2030.
People gather in support of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, ahead of his Supreme Federal Court trial in Brasilia, Brazil [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]
‘An abominable thing’
Earlier this month, at Bolsonaro’s first testimony at the Supreme Court, the former president denied that there was a coup attempt.
“There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing,” Bolsonaro said.
“Brazil couldn’t go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government.”
Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida in the US at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting.
At the same time, Brazilian police have called for Bolsonaro to be separately charged with illegal espionage while president.
According to legal experts, the sentencing part of the coup plot case is expected in the second half of the year. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face up to 12 years in prison.
During his legal troubles, the former president has called for several protests, but his appearances at them have declined in recent months, as have the crowds.
According to estimates by the University of Sao Paulo, about 45,000 people took part in the most recent march on Paulista Avenue in April, almost four times fewer than in February.
Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, a former Bolsonaro minister, is a top candidate to represent the conservatives in the 2026 presidential election.
The far-right former president is accused of using Brazil’s intelligence agency to conduct illegal spying.
Brazil’s federal police have formally accused far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro of involvement in an illegal spying network that allegedly snooped on political rivals, journalists and environmentalists during his administration.
Court records allege that under one of Bolsonaro’s aides, Brazil’s spy agency, Agencia Brasileira de Inteligencia (ABIN), ran a “criminal organisation of high offensive capability” from 2019 to 2023, local media reported Tuesday.
According to the police, ABIN used a software called FirstMile, developed by the Israeli company Cognyte.
A Supreme Court document contains the names of several Brazilian public figures who were targets of the snooping operation, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, former Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, and the current head of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies or lower house, Arthur Lira.
The agency was also used to illegally spy on tax auditors who were investigating the president’s eldest son, Flavio Bolsonaro, according to prosecutors. The intention was to find dirt on them to halt a corruption probe from when the younger Bolsonaro was a Rio de Janeiro councilman.
Names of senior officials from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) were also on the list. As president, Bolsonaro cut the budget of IBAMA by 30 percent between 2019 and 2020, while also cutting funding for other environmental agencies. When he was in office, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged, and Bolsonaro was accused of facilitating this destruction.
Journalists Monica Bergamo of Folha de S Paulo newspaper and Vera Magalhaes of O Globo newspaper were also targeted, the document alleges.
The allegations add to a slew of probes against Bolsonaro, who was rendered ineligible to run for office in 2030 after a failed 2022 re-election campaign. He is also embroiled in a jewellery embezzlement case as well as a case pertaining to him forging his COVID-19 vaccine records.
Last week, Bolsonaro appeared before the Supreme Court for the first time and denied participation in an alleged plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result that he lost to current left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the primary targets of a rioting mob of supporters known as “Bolsonaristas”, who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida in the US at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting. Bolsonaro said in his testimony that the rioters were “crazy,” not coup mongers.
“There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing,” Bolsonaro said. “Brazil couldn’t go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government.”
The far-right politician admitted to discussing “possibilities” with the heads of the armed forces following his defeat to Lula, but argued that it had been within constitutional limits.
A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years in Brazil. A conviction on that and other charges could bring decades behind bars. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and asserted that he is the target of political persecution.
June 13 (UPI) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is in the final stage of a historic trial before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court over his alleged role in an attempted coup following his 2022 election loss.
The trial, now in its final phase of evidence collection, will determine Bolsonaro’s legal fate and could end his political aspirations to reclaim the presidency.
Since mid-May, Bolsonaro and several former aides have faced legal proceedings unprecedented in Brazil’s recent history. On Tuesday, Bolsonaro appeared in court to respond to the charges.
Prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of plotting to overturn the 2022 election results to stay in power. He faces charges of rebellion and attempting a coup. Local news media report he could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
During the hearing, Bolsonaro apologized to Justice Alexandre de Moraes and other members of the court for previously alleging election fraud, admitting he had no evidence. At one point, Bolsonaro even asked De Moraes if he would consider being his running mate in 2026 — the justice replied, “I reject the offer.”
Bolsonaro admitted discussing with advisers and military leaders the possibility of finding a “legal mechanism” to overturn Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s election victory, but insisted, “There was never a possibility of a coup in my government.”
That statement, though defiant, could alienate parts of Bolsonaro’s base who continue to defend the Jan. 8, 2023, rioters, said Bruno Pazos Barboz, a professor at the Social Observatory of Rio.
On that day, thousands of radical Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília — just one week after Lula took office — vandalizing property and stealing documents and official government symbols.
“This trial, which has drawn both national and international attention, is not only about individual accountability,” Pazos said. “It’s also a test of the strength of Brazil’s democratic institutions. That’s why what’s happening — and how it ends — is so important.”
Bolsonaro is already barred from holding public office until 2030 by the Superior Electoral Court, due to his baseless attacks on the country’s electronic voting system. A conviction in the current case could result in prison time and further extend that ban, effectively ending his short-term presidential ambitions.
Despite the charges, some of his supporters and political analysts have not ruled out his return.
A Genial/Quaest poll conducted between May and June 2025 found that 65% of Brazilians believe Bolsonaro should drop out of the 2026 presidential race and allow another right-wing candidate to take his place, The Rio Times reported — signaling broad rejection beyond his core base of supporters.
Still, “Bolsonarismo” remains active, said Pazos Barboz. The movement holds significant influence in Congress and maintains a loyal base that continues to mobilize periodically. Its rhetoric often centers on themes of “victimization” and claims of “political persecution.”
Two additional factors continue to sustain Bolsonarismo. One is the growth of Brazil’s Protestant evangelical population, a demographic traditionally aligned with Bolsonaro and estimated at about 50 million people. The other is the lack of a unifying leader capable of bringing together the country’s right-wing parties — a gap that could reshape the 2026 electoral landscape.
If convicted, Bolsonaro could appeal to the same court and possibly to the full bench. The entire legal process — including trial and appeals — could extend into late 2025 or early 2026.
Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, testifying for the first time before the nation’s Supreme Court, has denied involvement in an alleged coup plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result that he lost to current leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, 70, and seven of his close allies were questioned by a panel of top judges on Tuesday as part of a trial over allegations that they devised a multi-step scheme to keep Bolsonaro in office despite his defeat to Lula.
Bolsonaro and his co-defendants risk prison sentences of up to 40 years in a trial dubbed “historic” – the first ever for an attempted coup under a democratic government in Brazil.
“That’s not the case, your honour,” Bolsonaro replied on Tuesday when asked by Judge Alexandre de Moraes – an arch political foe – about “the truthfulness” of the accusations against him.
“There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing … Brazil couldn’t go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government,” Bolsonaro claimed.
Bolsonaro began his testimony “as if he were on an electoral campaign,” said Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew, reporting from Rio de Janeiro.
The plot only failed, the charge sheet says, due to a clear lack of military backing.
Bolsonaro, a former military officer himself who has been known to express nostalgia for the country’s past military dictatorship, openly defied Brazil’s judicial system during his 2019-2022 term in office.
On Monday, Bolsonaro’s former right-hand man Mauro Cid – a co-defendant who has turned state’s witness – told the court Bolsonaro had “received and read” a draft decree for the declaration of a state of emergency.
He then “edited” the document, which would have paved the way for measures to “redo the election” and also envisaged the imprisonment of top personalities including Moraes, said Cid.
Cid also testified that he had received cash in a wine crate from Bolsonaro’s former running mate and Defence Minister Walter Braga Netto that investigators say was earmarked to finance an operation by special troops to kill Lula, his Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Moraes.
‘My conscience is clear’
Apart from Cid, the other co-defendants are four ex-ministers and the former heads of Brazil’s navy and intelligence agency.
Most who have taken the stand so far have rejected the bulk of the accusations in the charge sheet. The defendants are standing trial on five counts: attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organisation, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and deterioration of listed heritage.
A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, the accused could be sentenced to up to 40 years behind bars.
Two former army commanders have claimed Bolsonaro hosted a meeting where the declaration of a state of emergency was discussed as a means of overturning Lula’s election victory.
Bolsonaro has denied all the charges, saying he is the target of political and media persecution.
“He said he was being persecuted by the press because he was elected independently of a political establishment and also because he had a conservative agenda, an anti-woke agenda,” said Yanakiew.
He has already been banned in a separate court ruling from running in elections until 2030 over abuse of power while in office and casting unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system. However, he is still hoping to run in the 2026 presidential elections.
“They have nothing to convict me; my conscience is clear,” the former leader told reporters on Monday.
Almir Garnier, who was Brazilian Navy commander under Bolsonaro, denied the former president had discussed the declaration of a state of emergency with military officials.
He also denied offering Bolsonaro any Navy troops.
The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the targets of a rioting mob of supporters known as “Bolsonaristas” – who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting.
Judges will hear from 26 other defendants at a later date. The court has already heard from dozens of witnesses in hearings that began in mid-May.
SANTIAGO, Chile, May 25 (UPI) — Once viewed as peripheral players, Protestant churches have risen over the past two decades to become influential actors in the spiritual and political realms across Latin America.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, Protestants have increased from just 1% of the Latin American population at the start of the 20th century to nearly 20% by 2024. In contrast, the Catholic population has decreased to 69% from 94% over the same period.
The shift is especially pronounced in Honduras and Guatemala, where Protestants now outnumber Catholics, and in Brazil, where they account for 28% of the population.
This demographic growth has been accompanied by the increasing political involvement of religious leaders, many of whom have won public office or directly influenced state policies.
The power of Protestant churches stems from their close ties to local communities and their ability to offer concrete spiritual guidance. They also have shown political ability in shaping debates on conservative issues such as abortion, LGBTQ rights and sex education.
The rise of the far right in Latin America and the growth of Protestant churches are not separate trends, according to Israel Vilchez, director of Christian news outlet Cosmovision.cl.
“They have a close connection that is reshaping political agendas and challenging the traditional Catholic dominance,” Vilchez said.
In Brazil, the Evangelical Parliamentary Front is one of the most powerful blocs in Congress and backed the right-wing government of Jair Bolsonaro under the slogan “family, homeland and God.”
In Guatemala, Protestant actor Jimmy Morales won the presidency in 2016 and aligned his policies with conservative groups.
In Costa Rica, pastor Fabricio Alvarado reached the presidential runoff in 2018.
In Mexico, the protestant Social Encounter Party supported President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in that year’s election.
In Argentina, Presidential Javier Milei received support from the Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches during his campaign, although some groups later raised concerns over policies they said could weaken social justice.
Protestant support for right-wing political parties is not based solely on ideological alignment, according to Chilean sociologist Felipe Cruz.
“It is primarily a strong opposition to so-called progressive public policies, such as same-sex marriage and gender identity laws,” Cruz said.
In Chile, Protestant churches represent 17% of the population, according to the Center for Public Studies. The Chilean Congress includes a Protestant caucus consisting of members from various right-wing parties and the Christian Social Party.
“Churches will identify more with right-wing parties as long as they support fundamental, non-negotiable values such as opposition to abortion, homosexuality and certain approaches to education,” said Bishop Emiliano Soto, president of the Expanded Board of Evangelical Churches of Chile.
With a growing social base and increasingly visible ties to political power, protestant churches are emerging as key players in Latin America’s future. Their influence is reshaping not only the region’s religious landscape but also its political map in a time of constant change.
More than 80 witnesses are expected to testify via videoconference over the next two weeks.
The trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has begun, with charges that he plotted a coup d’etat and led a “criminal organisation” to overturn the result of the October 2022 election, in which he was narrowly defeated by current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The country’s Supreme Court is hearing testimony from high-ranking military and political figures from Monday over the next two weeks.
The 70-year-old far-right leader, a former army captain, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Bolsonaro denies the allegations, claiming he is a victim of “political persecution”.
More than 80 witnesses are set to testify via videoconference, including Generals Marco Antonio Freire Gomes and Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior, who served as commanders of the army and air force under Bolsonaro.
In previous statements to federal police, both men said Bolsonaro had “raised the hypothetical possibility” of using legal means to annul the 2022 election and justify a military intervention.
According to prosecutors, the alleged plot included plans to declare a state of emergency, hold new elections and assassinate President Lula.
A 900-page federal police report details the scheme, which prosecutors say ultimately collapsed due to a lack of support within the military.
The charges also encompass the January 8, 2023 riots in Brasília, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace one week after Lula’s inauguration.
Though Bolsonaro, a close ally of United States President Donald Trump when they were both in power, was in the US at the time, prosecutors argue he backed the violence, calling it the “last hope” of those seeking to overturn the election.
Seven of Bolsonaro’s former aides are being tried alongside him, including four former ministers, a former navy commander, and the head of Brazil’s intelligence services during his presidency.
This marks the first time a Brazilian president has faced coup charges since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985.
Bolsonaro, who has often expressed admiration for that era, is already banned from holding public office until 2030 after making claims about Brazil’s electronic voting system.
Despite the ban, Bolsonaro has indicated a desire to return to politics. But speaking to UOL last week, he likened the charges to a “telenovela scenario” and warned that a conviction would be a “death penalty, political and physical”.
Bolsonaro was heavily criticised when he was Brazil’s leader during the COVID-19 pandemic and when his policies and spread of misinformation contributed to the nation having the highest overall death toll in Latin America, and the second highest in the world after the US, from the coronavirus.
Earlier this month, he was recently discharged from hospital after undergoing major abdominal surgery, the latest in a series of procedures stemming from a stabbing attack in 2018.
