Bolsonaro’s Coup Conviction Prompts Rubio Warning of US Response to Brazil

The Biden State Department may be silent, but under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the U.S. is speaking loudly and warning Brazil of consequences after former President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison in what many are calling a politically motivated show trial.

Rubio didn’t mince words Thursday, calling Bolsonaro’s conviction by Brazil’s Supreme Court a “witch hunt” led by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes. The U.S., he promised, “will respond accordingly.”

“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.

This marks a new escalation in the growing standoff between the United States and Brazil over Bolsonaro’s treatment a conservative leader, close Trump ally, and long-time critic of globalist institutions. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry fired back at Rubio’s warning, accusing the U.S. of making “threats” and attempting to “intimidate” Brazilian democracy.

But let’s be honest: what’s happening in Brazil is not democracy. It’s the weaponization of courts to crush political opposition the same tactic the Left has attempted right here in the United States.

Bolsonaro’s “crime”? Allegedly plotting a coup to remain in office after losing the 2022 election to far-left President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a convicted felon whose own corruption conviction was overturned on a technicality.

Bolsonaro was handed 27 years and three months behind bars longer than most violent criminals for daring to challenge a system stacked against him.

And the parallels to the political persecution of President Donald Trump are impossible to ignore.

“I thought he was a good president of Brazil, and it's very surprising that could happen very much like they tried to do with me,” Trump said after the ruling. “But they didn’t get away with it at all.”

In fact, Trump has been one of Bolsonaro’s most vocal defenders. Earlier this year, he issued 50% tariffs on most Brazilian goods in direct response to the attacks on Bolsonaro, before later exempting some key exports. His administration also used the Magnitsky Act to sanction Judge de Moraes for his role in targeting free speech and authorizing political detentions.

Rubio has continued that pressure announcing visa revocations for de Moraes and his allies, while signaling more sanctions are on the table following Bolsonaro’s conviction.

“We are going to have a firm response with actions from the U.S. government against this dictatorship that is being installed in Brazil,” Bolsonaro’s son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, said Thursday.

Eduardo warned that Supreme Court justices who voted to convict his father may be next in line for U.S. sanctions.

This isn't the first time the U.S. has responded to judicial tyranny abroad but it is one of the clearest examples of America taking a stand against political persecution that mirrors what’s happening here at home. The fact that Bolsonaro is a Trump ally only sharpens the global significance.

Key facts:

• Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months for “plotting a coup,” despite no evidence of military mobilization or a takeover attempt.

• The Brazilian Supreme Court, led by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, has a history of suppressing dissent, including ordering arbitrary arrests and censorship of political speech.

• The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned de Moraes for human rights abuses, including pre-trial detentions and media suppression.

• Secretary Rubio announced visa revocations for de Moraes and warned additional justices may face consequences.

This is not a case of democracy defending itself it's authoritarianism wearing the mask of justice. And when the judiciary becomes a tool to crush political enemies, no nation is safe from the consequences.

Americans should be paying attention. The exact same playbook being used against Bolsonaro is being deployed against Trump and his supporters weaponized indictments, activist judges, and show trials designed to rig the political game.

This is bigger than Brazil. It’s a global war against conservatism, national sovereignty, and political freedom. And the United States must not only speak out it must act.

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