The U.S. president posted a letter defending the former Brazilian president, calling the latter’s prosecution an attack on a political opponent.
President Donald Trump and the Brazilian government are increasingly at odds over the handling of embattled former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial related to an alleged coup to overturn the country’s 2022 presidential election.
Trump has criticized the trial as politically motivated. Bolsonaro is accused of being a coconspirator in an attempted coup d’état following his defeat in the election. He has denied any involvement and said that he is the target of political persecution under the administration of his former competitor, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula.
On July 17, Trump sent a letter to Bolsonaro expressing his “sincere hope that the government of Brazil changes course, stops attacking political opponents, and ends its ridiculous censorship regime.”
The day after that letter was made public, Bolsonaro publicly thanked Trump. The Brazilian Supreme Court responded with warrants and restraining orders banning Bolsonaro from contacting foreign officials concerning the charges.
The U.S. president, meanwhile, has already threatened public sanctions, including increased tariffs on Brazilian goods, and the State Department has placed visa restrictions on some members of the Brazilian judiciary. Lula has condemned the moves as interference with the Brazilian justice system.
The burgeoning issue puts the Trump administration at odds with South America’s largest and most populous nation. Here’s what to know.
Background
Bolsonaro—whose brand of right-wing populism has often drawn comparisons to Trump’s agenda—became Brazil’s president in 2019 and held the office until 2022.
Following his defeat in the country’s 2022 election, Bolsonaro alleged that the outcome had been affected by the manipulation of electronic ballot boxes by his opposition.
On Jan. 8, 2023, Bolsonaro’s supporters attacked government buildings in Brazil. Bolsonaro condemned these attacks the next day, denying responsibility.
Since then, Bolsonaro has faced mounting legal troubles from the Brazilian government.
In June 2023, he was convicted of fraud and counts related to the Jan. 8 incidents by the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court, and he was declared ineligible to run again until 2030. In October 2023, the same court convicted Bolsonaro of abuse of power for his use of Brazil’s independence day to promote his candidacy, a violation of Brazilian law.
Allegations
In November 2024, Brazilian officials charged Bolsonaro and other officials with an attempted coup d’état and attempting to overturn the rule of law. In February 2025, Bolsonaro was also charged with the attempted assassination of Lula and a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, alongside 33 others.
Bolsonaro has denied the charges.
The trial began in May.
Trump’s letter to Bolsonaro comes after Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet outlined his case in a 517-page document on Bolsonaro’s case.
The prosecutor-general called for a guilty verdict in the trial, alleging that “the defendant acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilization of the democratic rule of law.”
Bolsonaro maintained his innocence through this process, saying in a July 15 interview with local outlet Poder360: “None of this happened. I’ve always played within the rules.”
If he is convicted of the plot to overthrow the government, Bolsonaro could face up to 12 years in prison. Other charges could increase that sentence to decades.
What Is Trump Saying?
In his July 17 letter to Bolsonaro and posted to Truth Social, Trump said: “I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This should end immediately!”
“I share your commitment to listening to the voice of the people, and I am very concerned about the attacks on free speech—both in Brazil and in the United States—coming out of the current government,” he wrote.
“I have strongly voiced my disapproval both publicly and through our tariff policy.”
The U.S. president said last week he would impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods starting on Aug. 1, in a letter of criticism of the Bolsonaro trial.
Before the tariff warning, Trump stated in a July 7 post that “Brazil is doing a terrible thing in its treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro.”
“He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE,” Trump said.
“This is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent—Something I know much about!”
How Did Brazilian Authorities React?
During a July 18 raid, after Trump expressed support for Bolsonaro publicly, Bolsonaro was equipped with an ankle monitor by authorities, who say he’s a flight risk.
When asked about the ankle monitor, Bolsonaro said: “I feel extreme humiliation. I am 70 years old. I was president of the republic for four years.”
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the searches and the electronic monitoring. He’s the same judge who ordered the seizure of Bolsonaro’s passport in 2024.
According to Reuters, Bolsonaro said he believes that the orders are in response to Trump’s criticism of his trial before that nation’s high court and said he would meet with Trump if he had access to his passport.
This escalation in pressure included the ban on contact with foreign officials concerning the recent allegations.
Moraes said that the restrictions were due to allegations that Bolsonaro was attempting to garner interference from the “head of state of a foreign nation” in the Brazilian court system, which he considered an attack on national sovereignty.
Bolsonaro has also been banned from contacting other allies, including his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is a Brazilian congressman and has been working to find support for his father in Washington.
What Is Bolsonaro Saying?
Bolsonaro uploaded a video to X in response to Trump’s letter, saying that he received it and it brought him “great joy” because of Trump’s “concern with free speech” and with Bolsonaro’s case in particular.
The former president said that he was being judged on a coup d’état that was “carried out on a Sunday with no troops“ and ”no weapons” while he was in the United States, saying it was “completely unbelievable” and a “nonexistent crime.”
He went on to say that he believes those in power in Brazil want him to leave politics, because he is the “greatest right leadership from South America.”
Responding to the recent orders from Moraes, Bolsonaro called the judge a “dictator,” and said the orders are an act of “cowardice.”
Amid the mounting pressure, Bolsonaro has maintained that he is innocent of the charges against him. He also says he still intends to run for president in 2026, even though he is under a court order barring him from seeking public office until 2030.
What Are Brazilian Authorities Saying?
Brazil’s Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, said in a post to X that Trump’s letter “starkly exposes the blackmail being used against Brazil.”
She accused Trump of demanding that the country “relinquish national sovereignty,” its justice system, and its laws to “dismantle the tariffs and sanctions he threatens to impose on the nation.”
“As the hour of judgment approaches, it becomes increasingly clear that Bolsonaro places his interests above everything, including Brazil and the Brazilian people,” she wrote.
She previously reacted to the July 7 comments, stating on X that “Donald Trump is seriously mistaken if he thinks he can interfere in the Brazilian judicial process.”
Hoffmann appeared to express frustration with the relationship the former president had with the United States during his time in office.
“The time when Brazil submitted to the United States was during Bolsonaro’s administration, who saluted your flag and did not defend national interests,” she said.
“Today, he is answering for the crimes he committed against democracy and the Brazilian electoral process.”
Alicia Márquez contributed to this report.
