U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday that the United States would respond following the conviction of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on charges of plotting a coup after the 2022 presidential election. While Rubio did not specify what the U.S. response would entail, he made the position clear.
“The political persecutions by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes continue, as he and others on Brazil’s Supreme Court have unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Rubio posted on X.
“The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”
The statement drew an immediate rebuke from Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, which accused the United States of interfering in domestic affairs and dismissed Rubio’s comments as a “threat” to Brazilian sovereignty. In a statement, the ministry insisted that Brazilian democracy “would not be intimidated” and defended the conviction as based on “compelling evidence.”
27-Year Sentence Sparks International Backlash
Bolsonaro, 70, was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison by Brazil’s Supreme Court for “attempting to subvert the results of the 2022 election” in which Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was declared president. The case was overseen by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a controversial figure who has faced sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged human rights violations, including suppression of free speech and politically motivated prosecutions.
The former president has long denied any wrongdoing and maintains the case against him is politically motivated. Supporters point to parallels with legal actions taken against President Donald Trump as evidence of a growing trend of weaponized judicial systems targeting populist leaders.
“Well, I watched that trial. I know him pretty well,” Trump said Thursday. “He was a good president of Brazil, and it’s very surprising that could happen—very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it at all.”
“He was a good man,” Trump added.
U.S. Moves to Sanction Brazilian Justices
In July, the United States revoked visas for Justice Alexandre de Moraes, other unnamed Brazilian justices, and their families. Rubio vowed that further Magnitsky Act sanctions could be on the table if the judicial crackdown continues.
“If these Supreme Court justices keep following Moraes, they also run the risk of facing the same sanction,” said Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the former president and a sitting congressman in Brazil.
Eduardo told Reuters that he expects the U.S. to expand sanctions in light of the conviction.
Trade Tensions Rise
President Trump previously responded to Bolsonaro’s prosecution by imposing 50% tariffs on most Brazilian exports in July, calling the case “a witch hunt.” Some exemptions were later made for civilian aircraft parts and passenger vehicles, but he made it clear that America would not tolerate judicial overreach targeting a close ally.
What Comes Next?
Rubio’s firm stance signals that the Trump administration views Bolsonaro’s imprisonment as part of a broader global struggle over sovereignty, rule of law, and political freedom—one that may shape American foreign policy well into Trump’s second term.
As tensions escalate, the Bolsonaro case is fast becoming a litmus test for how the United States navigates its alliances with conservative populist leaders abroad and its willingness to intervene diplomatically or economically in what it sees as ideologically driven prosecutions.
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Seijah Drake was born in Boston, MA, where she developed a penchant for writing early on and a passion for politics in college. After college she worked briefly for a conservative media in New York before relocating to the Greater D.C. Area to pursue a career in political marketing. She now resides in the free state of Florida.
