Donald Trump has recently voiced his most forceful defense yet of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, arguing that the far-right leader is being unfairly targeted in his home country.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday, the former U.S. president claimed Bolsonaro—often called the “Trump of the Tropics”—is “not guilty of anything,” referring to the legal proceedings Bolsonaro currently faces.
Trump wrote: “Brazil is acting terribly in how they are treating” the ex-president. “He is not guilty of anything, except standing up for THE PEOPLE,” he added.
Among other legal battles, Bolsonaro is under investigation by Brazil’s supreme court for allegedly orchestrating an attempted coup after his 2022 election loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
While Bolsonaro thanked Trump for his support, Lula responded by asserting that Brazil is a “sovereign nation” that “does not accept outside interference.”
Lula also reacted to an earlier Trump post announcing a 10% tariff on countries aligned with the BRICS alliance, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
“It’s neither responsible nor serious for the leader of a country as powerful as the U.S. to make global threats online,” Lula said. “The world has changed. We don’t need an emperor—we are independent nations.”
At a press briefing during the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Lula was asked directly about Trump’s statement defending Bolsonaro. “I won’t even comment on this Trump and Bolsonaro matter,” he said. “I have more important issues to discuss.”
He added: “This country has laws, rules, and belongs to its people. Focus on your own affairs, not ours.”
Bolsonaro faces several criminal and electoral cases in Brazil.
Having baselessly attacked the voting system, he is now ineligible to run for office until 2030, barring him from next year’s election.
At the supreme court, Bolsonaro is accused—beyond the alleged coup attempt—of misusing presidential gifts and falsifying a Covid vaccination record. The coup case is the most advanced, with a verdict likely this year.
Trump’s post concluded: “The only fair judgment should come from Brazil’s voters—an election. LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!”
For months, Bolsonaro has sought stronger backing from Trump. One of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, left his congressional seat in March and has been in the U.S., urging Trump and Republican lawmakers to impose sanctions on Brazil—particularly targeting the judge handling the cases against his father.
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