Relations between the United States and Brazil entered a fresh diplomatic crisis on Monday, July 7, after U.S. President Donald Trump condemned Brazil’s prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, calling it a “WITCH HUNT” and urging authorities to “LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE.”
Trump’s remarks, delivered in a fiery post on Truth Social, drew a swift and pointed response from Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who dismissed the comments as foreign “interference” and emphasized that “no one is above the law.”
Bolsonaro, 70, is currently standing trial in Brazil on charges that he led a “criminal organization” plotting a coup to keep him in office following his 2022 electoral defeat. Prosecutors allege the conspiracy collapsed after failing to secure the backing of Brazil’s military high command. If convicted, the former president faces up to 40 years in prison.
The politically explosive case has drawn parallels to Trump’s own legal battles, including his prosecution over the January 6 Capitol riots, when his supporters stormed Congress in an attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump pleaded not guilty in that case, which was later dropped after he returned to the presidency, granting him immunity from prosecution.
Bolsonaro maintains he is innocent and a victim of political persecution. He has continued to energize his base with public rallies, deepening polarization in Brazil.
The Trump and Bolsonaro families have grown increasingly close, with Bolsonaro’s sons lobbying for U.S. sanctions against a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and pushing Trump to take a public stance. Trump’s latest comments suggest those efforts have borne fruit, raising questions about the diplomatic fallout between the two Western Hemisphere powers.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, a member of Brazil’s Congress and one of the former president’s sons, praised Trump’s post and hinted at further developments, saying it “would not be the only news coming from the United States in the near future.”
Trump suggested that Bolsonaro, despite being banned from running due to spreading misinformation about Brazil’s electoral system, remains the popular favourite for the 2026 election.
“I have watched, as has the World, as they have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year!” Trump wrote. “It happened to me, times 10. I have gotten to know Jair Bolsonaro, and he was a strong Leader, who truly loved his Country. Also, a very tough negotiator on TRADE.”
Bolsonaro responded on social media, thanking Trump for his support and his defence of “peace, justice and liberty.”
Trump’s comments came as Lula hosted representatives from BRICS nations — including China, Russia, Iran and others — for a summit in Rio de Janeiro. Leaders at the summit criticized Trump’s trade policies and past military actions, including the bombing of Iran, prompting the U.S. president to threaten an additional 10 percent tariff on each BRICS-aligned country.
Amid escalating tensions, Lula stated that BRICS members were sovereign nations and dismissed any notion of external dominance, declaring, “We do not want an emperor.”
