US President Donald Trump announced this Wednesday 50% tariffs on Brazilian products starting August 1 due, in part, to the way President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva treated his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
“The way Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro (...) is an international disgrace. This trial should not be happening. It is a witch hunt that must end IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote in a letter to Lula. He is referring to the prosecution of the far-right former president for an attempted coup.
"Due in part to Brazil's insidious attacks on free elections and Americans' fundamental rights to free speech (...) we will be charging Brazil a 50% tariff on each and every Brazilian product shipped to the United States," he added in the letter published on his Truth Social platform.
Trump expressed his support for Bolsonaro this week and criticized the legal actions against him, calling the charges against the former Brazilian president “nothing more, nothing less, than an attack on a political opponent,” according to posts released Monday. Trump stated, “LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!”
Trump's statements add to the comparisons between Bolsonaro's situation and his own legal proceedings in the United States after the 2020 election. On social media, Trump said:"What happened to me is happening to Bolsonaro, his family and thousands of his followers, I will be watching very closely!" referring to what he calls a witch hunt in both his case and that of his former Brazilian ally.
The president also stated that Bolsonaro should be able to run in Brazil's upcoming presidential elections, despite the fact that the Electoral Tribunal has barred him from participating due to his continued criticism of the Brazilian electoral system.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva immediately responded to Donald Trump's statements and calls for respect. Lula told reporters on Monday:"I think it's very wrong and very irresponsible for a president to threaten others on social media." He also stated: "People need to learn that respect is a good thing."
Regarding the US president, Lula said:"He needs to know that the world has changed. We don't want an emperor."
The judicial process against Jair Bolsonaro is moving forward in the Brazilian Supreme Court, after the Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Police identified him as responsible for acts aimed at preventing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections. The formal accusation alleges that Bolsonaro held meetings with senior military commanders, with the aim of seeking constitutional mechanisms to prevent a change of command, although the majority of these commanders rejected such initiatives.
Following the electoral defeat, Bolsonaro cast doubt on the election results, despite a military review backing the validity of the process. Thousands of his supporters, convinced of alleged fraud, stormed the seats of power in Brasilia a week after Lula's inauguration, demanding the intervention of the Armed Forces.
In recent months, the Supreme Court has subpoenaed Bolsonaro and some of his inner circle to testify on charges of conspiracy and federal crimes related to the coup attempt. Furthermore, the Federal Police are investigating him for his alleged knowledge of plans to assassinate Lula and a high court justice, charges the former president has publicly denied.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Brazil issued a statement supporting Jair Bolsonaro and questioning the legal proceedings against him. The statement stated: “Jair Bolsonaro and his family have been solid partners of the United States. The political persecution against them, and their supporters, is a disgrace and beneath the dignity of Brazil's democratic traditions.” The embassy also emphasized that “the presidential statement is clear, and we reiterate it. We will monitor everything closely.”
In response to this announcement, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Brasilia for a meeting, as a way to officially express the Brazilian government's displeasure with the statements and interference in the country's internal affairs.
