The Daily Populous Sunday September 14th, 2025 day edition
Authored by pbs.org and submitted by naqi11

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil braced Friday for possible new U.S. sanctions linked to former President Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction on coup charges, after the administration of President Donald Trump warned it would respond “accordingly.”

Trump said he was “very unhappy” with the conviction, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on his X account that the U.S. government would “respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”

READ MORE: What to know after Brazil’s Bolsonaro is convicted and sentenced for coup attempt

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry called Rubio’s comments an inappropriate threat that would not intimidate the government, adding that the country’s judiciary is independent and that Bolsonaro was granted due process.

“Threats like the one made today by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement that attacks Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and compelling evidence in the case files, will not intimidate our democracy,” Brazil’s foreign office said on X.

Sen. Rogério Carvalho, the government leader in the Senate, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday that the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been expecting retaliation from the United States, and would move to cushion any blow to Brazilian businesses.

“The government already has a plan to support affected companies and mitigate losses from the tariffs. Brazil is aggressively seeking new markets to make up for a potential drop in exports to the United States,” he said.

Bolsonaro was convicted Thursday by a Supreme Court panel of an attempted coup aimed at keeping him in power following his October 2022 election defeat to Lula.

Prosecutors cited Bolsonaro’s history of casting doubt on the country’s voting system, evidence that he discussed with top aides a possible emergency decree to suspend the election result and a riot in the capital after Lula was inaugurated.

Bolsonaro’s defense called the case invalid, arguing that even if evidence suggested Bolsonaro discussed such a decree, he never issued one and instead ordered a transition to his elected successor.

Trump has called the trial a witchhunt, and in July announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods and explicitly linked the import tax to Bolsonaro’s fate.

Just weeks later, the U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on Supreme Court JusticeAlexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case and is seen by Bolsonaro as a personal foe. Sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act typically are used against figures accused of human rights abuses.

Lula, in an interview Thursday with local TV Band, said any Trump threat to sanction Brazil was an arrogant denial of Brazil’s right to judge its own crimes. “A president of one country cannot interfere in the sovereign decisions of another country. If he chooses to take further action, that’s his problem. We will respond as measures are taken,” Lula said.

Christopher Garman of Eurasia Group told the AP that the White House is likely to extend Magnitsky sanctions to the other justices who convicted Bolsonaro — and possibly their families.

“We are also keeping an eye on more tariffs, given Brazil’s purchase of Russian diesel. But this is not something immediate,” Garman said.

oneseventwosix on September 14th, 2025 at 02:09 UTC »

Jokes aside, why is the Trump administration so offended by Brazil punishing someone for attempting to harm Brazilian democracy?

The seemingly obvious answer is a parallel between Bolsonaro and Trump, but is that actually what’s going on here?

It seems like sanctions would possibly be justified had Bolsonaro been successful, but democracy seems to have prevailed and the state is issuing judgment upon the failed insurrectionist which seems completely reasonable.

Thiphra on September 14th, 2025 at 01:27 UTC »

Genually wtf are they gonna do ?

They already hit us with the highest percent of tarrifs and not even that stuck, since 700 of products were exempt from it and they just exempt steel and celulose 2 DAYS AGO.

They already took the judges visas away, none of them cares to vaction on the US for the next 4 years, they used the Magnistiky law agaist them, it didn't do anything because only the US thinks is trial was somehow an atack on democracy.

Genually wtf are they gonna do bomb Rio de Janeiro ? The place with the most iconic Jesus statue in the world ? They couldn't justify a war with Iran good luck luck justifing a war with us.

008Zulu on September 14th, 2025 at 01:26 UTC »

Trump hates Justice.