Buenos Aires Herald 
The rift between the United States and Brazil deepened on Friday after Washington decided to revoke entry visas to the country for Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his immediate family.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the decision, which also extends to the judge’s “allies on the court,” for what he called a “political witch hunt” against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The decision comes on the heels of tariff threats against Brazil U.S. President Donald Trump made last week, also partially connected to the trial against Bolsonaro.
“[President Trump] has made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio wrote on X. He added that De Moraes’ “political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans.”
Rubio’s announcement came hours after Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court ordered Bolsonaro to wear an ankle monitor and banned him from using social media platforms. The former president told the press that the court’s decision is “maximum humiliation” and that nothing “places him in a coup plan” that, in addition, “did not exist.” He also said that the process is a “persecution” against him and that “the suspicion is an exaggeration.”
Bolsonaro is currently standing trial for allegedly trying to orchestrate a coup against Lula, who narrowly defeated him in the country’s 2022 elections. In January 2023, Bolsonaro supporters stormed the country’s Congress, presidential palace, and Supreme Court shortly after Lula took office.
Trump’s tariffs against Brazil
The rift between the U.S. and Brazil began when Trump wrote a letter to Lula on July 9 threatening a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, effective from August 1. In the missive, he said he was implementing the levies in part because of the Brazilian judiciary’s prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro and its legal action against social media platforms.
“I knew and dealt with former President Jair Bolsonaro, and respected him greatly, as did most other Leaders of Countries,” Trump’s letter began.
“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This Trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”
In September, Brazil’s Supreme Court also upheld a ban on the social media platform X after it failed to name a legal representative in the country — a dispute that came amid allegations that it had failed to tackle hate speech and fake news, including those relating to the elections. The ban was lifted six weeks later.
Following Trump’s letter, Lula posted a response on social media saying that “Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage.” He went on to point out that the trial against Bolsonaro and the litigation with social media companies are both the purview of Brazil’s judiciary and thus not subject to “any interference or threats that could compromise the independence of national institutions.”
