247 - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) reacted this Monday (7) to the statement made by Donald Trump in defense of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), defendant in the Supreme Federal Court (STF) for attempted coup d'état. In an official note, Lula made it clear that Brazil will not accept external interference in its institutions and that no one is above the law.

“The defense of democracy in Brazil is a matter for Brazilians. We are a sovereign country. We do not accept interference or tutelage from anyone,” Lula said in the text released by his office. The response comes after Trump called the trials against Bolsonaro unfair and stated that he should only be judged at the polls. In his post on the Truth Social network, the US president demanded: “leave Bolsonaro alone.”

Without mentioning Trump by name, Lula responded firmly to the attempted interference: “We have solid and independent institutions. No one is above the law. Especially those who attack freedom and the rule of law.”

The Brazilian president's statement marks the direct stance of the Planalto Palace amid the international repercussions of Trump's public defense of Bolsonaro. Trump's speech was widely criticized by Brazilian authorities, who saw the attitude as an affront to national sovereignty.