In a stunning diplomatic escalation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the U.S. visas of eight justices on Brazil’s Supreme Court, a move widely seen as part of the Trump administration’s campaign to shield former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro from conviction over his alleged attempt to orchestrate a coup after the 2022 election.
Rubio’s announcement follows weeks of rising tensions between the U.S. and Brazil, as President Donald Trump ratchets up pressure on Brazil’s judiciary ahead of Bolsonaro’s expected conviction. Bolsonaro, a far-right populist and longtime Trump ally, is facing charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election, which he lost to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Supreme Court of Brazil is likely to hand down a verdict within weeks. Bolsonaro faces up to 43 years in prison if convicted.
⚖️ Rubio Targets Brazil’s Top Judiciary
Rubio, echoing Trump’s rhetoric of a “witch hunt,” announced via X (formerly Twitter) that he had ordered the cancellation of visas belonging to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes—who is leading the investigation into Bolsonaro—and his “allies on the court,” including family members. Although Rubio did not disclose the full list, Brazilian media outlet O Globo identified the affected justices as:
Luís Roberto Barroso
José Antonio Dias Toffoli
Cristiano Zanin
Flávio Dino
Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha
Luiz Edson Fachin
Gilmar Ferreira Mendes
Three justices avoided the sanctions: André Mendonça and Kassio Nunes Marques, both appointed by Bolsonaro, and Luiz Fux.
Lula Pushes Back Hard
President Lula condemned the visa revocations, calling them “arbitrary and completely groundless.” In a statement on Saturday, he criticized the U.S. for interfering in Brazil’s judicial system:
“Interference in another country’s justice system is unacceptable and offends the basic principles of national sovereignty… No kind of intimidation or threat—from whoever it may be—will compromise our democratic institutions.”
Lula’s Institutional Relations Minister, Gleisi Hoffmann, echoed the sentiment, labeling the move as “an affront to the Brazilian judiciary and national sovereignty.”
Trump Tactics Spark Domestic Turmoil in Brazil
Trump’s involvement in Brazil’s legal and political affairs has sparked outrage across the political spectrum in Brazil—including from conservative voices. The right-leaning newspaper Estado de São Paulo blasted the visa sanctions and Trump’s recently announced 50% tariffs on all Brazilian imports as “unacceptable external interference” that “stained the history of diplomatic relations between the two largest democracies in the Americas.”
The tariff announcement, made earlier this month, was framed as retaliation for what Trump calls the “persecution” of Bolsonaro. But instead of rallying support for Bolsonaro, the move has triggered fierce backlash in Brazil and appears to have politically benefited Lula.
Political Backfire? Lula Gains, Bolsonaro Base Hit
Ironically, Trump’s hardline economic retaliation may have weakened Bolsonaro’s political position at home. The tariffs will disproportionately impact Bolsonaro-supporting regions, especially agricultural strongholds like São Paulo, where coffee growers and cattle ranchers face major export losses.
Lula, who had been struggling with declining approval ratings, has seen a resurgence in the polls as he positions himself as a defender of Brazil’s sovereignty against foreign coercion.
🧩 Bolsonaro’s Inner Circle Reacts
The Bolsonaro family has scrambled to respond. Bolsonaro’s congressman son Eduardo Bolsonaro, currently living in the U.S., thanked Rubio for his intervention and praised the move as a stand for “free speech.” Meanwhile, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro—another of the former president’s sons—briefly posted a message on X urging Trump to replace the broad tariffs with targeted sanctions. The post was quickly deleted.
Political analyst Celso Rocha de Barros believes the Bolsonaros were blindsided by the sweeping impact of Trump’s tariffs. He suggests they expected a symbolic penalty that could be used for political leverage—not a broadside that risks alienating Bolsonaro’s rural base.
🔍 Bottom Line:
The Trump administration’s deepening interference in Brazil’s judiciary is transforming a legal case into an international flashpoint. While Rubio and Trump frame their actions as a defense of democracy, many Brazilians—including conservatives—see it as an unprecedented attack on their nation’s sovereignty. With Bolsonaro's verdict looming, and the Brazilian economy caught in the crossfire of U.S. tariffs, the political consequences are only just beginning to unfold.