U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday the United States will take action following the conviction of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, though he did not specify what that response would be.
Bolsonaro was found guilty by Brazil’s Supreme Court of plotting a coup to stay in power after losing the 2022 election. The court sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison, making him the first ex-president in Brazil’s history convicted for undermining democracy.
“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 wrote on X. “The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry pushed back sharply, calling Rubio’s words a “threat” that disrespects Brazil’s sovereignty and ignores the evidence presented in court. The ministry said Brazil’s democracy “will not be intimidated by the United States.”
Bolsonaro, who built close ties with Donald Trump during his time in office, has also drawn the former U.S. president’s support. Trump told reporters he believed Bolsonaro was “a good president of Brazil” and compared his case to his own legal troubles.
“It’s very surprising that could happen—very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it,” Trump said. “I don’t see that happening.”
Trump himself became the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime last year. Since Bolsonaro’s conviction, Trump has criticized Brazil’s courts and threatened new tariffs. In July, he imposed a 50% tariff on most Brazilian imports, calling the case against Bolsonaro a “witch hunt,” though he later exempted passenger cars and many aircraft parts.
That same month, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw Bolsonaro’s trial, accusing him of authorizing arbitrary detentions and restricting free speech.
