Sao Paulo (AP) – President of the United States Donald Trump He revealed who his new Latin American priorities are: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaropersonal and political allies.
In doing so, he was damaged by one of the most important and long-standing relationships of the Western Hemisphere. We collect 50% customs duties It began to take effect on Wednesday in the largest Latin American economy, Its main justice is approved And bring it Relationship between the two countries To the lowest point in decades.
The White House appeared to embrace the narrative promoted by the Bolsonaro allies of the United States. It is trying to overturn the losses of the 2022 election The government is part of the “intentional collapse of the rule of law” in which it engages in “politically motivated threats” and commits “human rights violations.” Trump’s Statement Customs duties announcement.
When Trump explained, the message was previously clear Bolsonaro’s prosecution By the Brazilian Supreme Court “Witch Hunt” – Using the same phrases he adopted Many investigations He has been facing since his first term. Bolsonaro is later faced with charges of orchestrating an attempted coup to maintain power I’ll lose the 2022 election To the President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. There could be a conviction in the coming months.
The US has a long history of interfering with issues with Latin American government, but he said Trump’s latest moves are unprecedented. Stephen Levitskya political scientist at Harvard University.
“This is an individualist government that is adopting policies according to Trump’s whim,” Levitsky said.
Bolsonaro’s sons are closely linked to Trump’s inner circle, he noted. The debate is strengthened Similarities Between Bolsonaro’s prosecution and Trump’s attempts to prosecute It is trying to overturn the losses of the 2020 electionended last November when he won his second term.
“He is sure that Bolsonaro is a family spirit that suffers from similar witch hunts,” Levitsky said.
Brazilian institutions oppose political pressure
After Bolsonaro’s defeat in 2022, Trump and his supporters repeated him Unfounded election fraud claimstreats him as a conservative icon and hosts him at conservative political action meetings. Steve Bannona former Trump advisor recently told Brazilian news website UOL that the US would lift tariffs if Bolsonaro’s charges were withdrawn.
However, meeting that demand is not possible for a number of reasons.
Brazilian officials have consistently highlighted it The judiciary is independent. The administrative department that governs diplomatic relations has no control over the justice of the Supreme Court and they have said they will not succumb to political pressure.
On Monday, the court ordered Bolsonaro to be placed under House arrest at home to violate court orders by spreading the message to social media through his son’s account.
justice Alexandre de Molesoversaw the lawsuit against Bolsonaro. Authorized under the Magnitsky Act of the United StatesIt is intended to target serious human rights offenders. De Moraise argued that the defendant is allowed to have a full due process, and said he ignored sanctions and continued his job.
“I couldn’t get back to asking for Lula.” Bruna Santos Regarding the removal of accusations against Bolsonaro of the inter-US dialogue in Washington, DC. “In the long run, it leaves a scar on the relationship between the two biggest democracies in the hemisphere.”
Magnitsky sanctions “Twist of the Law”
Three key factors explain the oxidation of US-Brazil relations, according to Oliver Stuenkel, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Fund for International Peace. Brazil’s refusal to pose a tariff threat. and the lack of national lobbying in Washington.
Councillors Eduardo BolsonaroJair Bolsonaro’s third son was the central figure connecting the Brazilian far-right with the Trump Magazine movement.
He took leave from Brazilian parliament and moved to the US in March, but he was cultivated for a long time in Trump’s orbit. Eduardo publicly called Magnitsky’s sanctions on de Moraese after the 50% tariff was announced in early July, and publicly thanked Trump.
Democrat Massachusetts official. Jim McGovernauthor of Magnitsky Law. It allowed the United States to sanction individual foreign officials who violate human rights, calling the administration’s actions “terrifying.”
“They structure things to protect those who say good things about Donald Trump,” McGovern told The Associated Press.
Bolsonaro’s son helps us connect right in Brazil with us
Eduardo Bolsonaro’s international campaign began shortly after his father’s 2022 defeat. A few days after the election, he met with Trump. Mar-A-Lago Estate in Florida.
The investigation into Bolsonaro and his allies deepens, Brazil’s right The reaction of Trump and his allies who adopted a narrative of judicial persecution and censorship, claiming that the US judicial system is weaponized against him.
Brazil’s Supreme Court and Election Court are one of the world’s toughest online discourse regulators. They can arrest social media takedowns and misinformation or other content to rule them as “anti-democratic.”
However, until recently, few people believed that Eduardo’s efforts to punish Brazilian justice would be successful.
That’s how billionaires started to change last year Elon Musk He clashed with De Moraes over censorship in X and threatened to violate court orders by plucking legal representatives from Brazil. In response, De Moraes has halted its social media platform domestically for a month, threatening another Musk Company’s Starlink business. In the end, Musk blinked.
Fabio de sa SilvaA professor of international and Brazilian studies at the University of Oklahoma said Eduardo’s influence came to light in May 2024 when he and other right-wing allies secured a hearing before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“It made clear adjustments between Bolsonaro supporters and the US Republican sector,” he said. “This is a strategy that puts external pressure on Brazil’s democracy.”
Last minute tariff push gives you some wins
Brazil has a diplomatic tradition of maintaining a modest presence in Washington, Stuenkel said. That vacuum created an opportunity for Eduardo Bolsonaro to promote a distorted story about Brazil between Republicans and those closest to Trump.
“Brazil is paying the price now,” he said.
Brazil began negotiations after Trump announced that he had wiped out tariffs in April. President Lula and Vice President Gerald Alcumin (Brazil’s chief trade negotiator) have said they have held numerous meetings with US trade officials since then.
Lula and Trump have never spoken, and the Brazilian president has repeatedly said that Washington ignored Brazil’s efforts to negotiate prior to implementing tariffs.
Personally, the diplomats say they felt that the decision was made within the White House and within Trump’s inner circle.
A delegation of Brazilian senators traveled to Washington in the final week of July in a final effort to ease tensions. The group, led by Senator Nersin, met with business leaders with ties to Brazil and nine US senators. Only one of them is a Republican Tom Tillis of North Carolina.
“We found out that opinions about Brazil were ideologically charged,” Trad told the Associated Press. “But we made an effort to present an economic argument.”
While the delegation was in Washington, Trump signed an order that would impose a 50% tariff. But there was relief. Not all Brazilian imports have been hit hard. Exemptions include civil aircraft and parts, aluminum, tin, wood pulp, energy products and fertilizers.
Trad believes Brazil’s outreach may have helped ease the final conditions.
“I think this path must remain one of dialogue and reasons so that we can make progress in other ways,” he said.
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Associated Press Writer Mauricio Savarese from Sao Paulo contributed to this report.
