Bolsonaro shows off his electronic ankle bracelet and says it's a 'huge humiliation'

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BRASÍLIA — Three days after being targeted by precautionary measures by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) , Jair Bolsonaro must count on his allies to maintain digital engagement while he is banned from using social media. Federal deputies from the PL discussed strategies in a meeting this Monday, the 21st, to align a speech in favor of the former president and keep him in the spotlight.

Although the measures imposed included a ban on the use of social media, Minister Alexandre de Moraes decided on Monday that participating in live broadcasts on any platform, including third-party accounts, could result in Bolsonaro being imprisoned for failing to comply with a court order.

The decision represents a setback for Bolsonaro's strategy of keeping his supporters energized. Shortly after the electronic ankle bracelet was installed, for example, Bolsonaro spoke to journalists five times throughout Friday, including press conferences and exclusive interviews with media outlets.

Now, Bolsonaro has been advised by his lawyers to stay out of the spotlight to avoid violating court orders. He was forced to cancel two interviews scheduled for Monday afternoon for fear of being arrested for contempt of court.

Federal representatives from the PL (Social Democratic Party) intend to double down on posts defending the former president and boost pro-Bolsonaro content on social media. At the meeting held at the leadership's headquarters in the Chamber of Deputies, they urged members of parliament whose profiles are not very active to post more.

To ensure that content is available to those less familiar with social media and to create alignment within the caucus when defending their leader, a group of representatives will provide publications to the others.

The meeting's initial agenda was to discuss national mobilizations for Bolsonaro, outline legislative priorities for the second half of the year, and align communications in support of the former president. However, Moraes's decision to ban him from giving interviews took over the general mood. The censure of Bolsonaro was the topic of the press conference held in the Green Room of the Chamber of Deputies following the caucus meeting.

"Bolsonaro would like to speak to the entire national press. However, due to yet another censorship order from Minister Alexandre de Moraes, his lawyers have preventively recommended that he no longer speak to the press. This is the relative democracy we live in," Congressman Sóstenes Cavalcante (RJ), party leader, opened the press conference.

Far from Eduardo

Bolsonaro had said on Friday that, among the precautionary measures imposed by the Supreme Federal Court, the worst was the ban on speaking with Eduardo—the others include a nighttime curfew and a ban on leaving Brasília. In recent days, contact with the federal deputy, who now lives in the United States, had been important to maintain communication aligned with his son's ongoing efforts.

Last week, in the wake of US President Donald Trump's tariff crisis, Bolsonaro went back and forth, and a conversation with Eduardo led to a change in the former president's stance.

Since Trump announced he would impose a 50% tax on Brazilian products, citing Supreme Court rulings against Bolsonaro and digital platforms, Bolsonarist leaders have been clashing and disagreeing on how to deal with the situation. Eduardo even publicly criticized São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas's (Republicans) initiative to try to resolve the issue by ignoring the January 8 amnesty as a necessary condition for the tariffs' removal.

This is because Eduardo took leave from his seat in the Chamber of Deputies in March to remain in the United States, where he has said he has been working from the outset to pressure the White House to impose sanctions against the Supreme Court. With Trump's tariff attack announced last week, however, Eduardo has been arguing that only a"broad, general, and unrestricted" amnesty in the National Congress would be the solution to address Trump's tariffs—therefore, a diplomatic resolution like the one articulated by Tarcísio runs counter to Eduardo's plan.

The clash between the two had escalated to the point where Eduardo said Tarcísio's move would be"disrespectful to him" and a "slavish subservience to the elites." In addition to meeting with a representative of the United States Embassy in Brasília last Friday, the governor met with business leaders this week to try to forge a solution for São Paulo's industry—which could be severely affected by the tariff hike.

The Bolsonaro supporters'"park fire" prompted a task force between the president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, and Senators Rogério Marinho (PL-RN) and Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI). They met early Tuesday afternoon, the 18th, to discuss how to put out the fire. They then called on Jair Bolsonaro and Flávio Bolsonaro, a PL senator from Rio, to mediate a peace settlement between Eduardo and Tarcísio.

In his 4 p.m. interview with Poder360, Bolsonaro already echoed his allies' appeal. He said his son"is not in favor of the measure here in Brazil" and that "no one is thrilled about the tax." He also stated that everything was settled between Eduardo and Tarcísio, and that his son"is not as mature or cut out for politics."

"Today, a stone was thrown in the balance. I spoke with Eduardo and Tarcísio. And everything is settled. Tarcísio remains my younger brother, and we're moving forward. We can't divide. Tarcísio is a tremendous manager. No criticism for him. If there is any, it's over the phone," Bolsonaro told Poder360.

The comment about maturity bothered Eduardo, and he called his father, in the presence of others, to complain that it belittled his performance in the United States. The conversation prompted Bolsonaro to change his tone again regarding the roles of the federal deputy and the São Paulo governor in the crisis. In an interview with CNN Brasil that same night, the former president began defending Eduardo and criticizing Tarcísio, about whom he had said shortly before that he had no criticisms.

"Eduardo is 40 years old, a responsible person. He's giving up, he's the most-voted congressman in Brazil's history, and he knows that if he comes back here, he'll be arrested. His work must be recognized. There's no point in a state governor, with all due respect to him, trying to resolve the issue within his state; it won't be resolved. It's there (in the US). Eduardo is available to any governor to address this issue," he said, in an excerpt he himself posted on social media.