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News Analysis
Latin America’s largest nation is shaping up as a test case on how to defy President Trump.
Sept. 13, 2025, 5:02 a.m. ET
President Trump made his demands to Brazil very clear: Drop the charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro of attempting a coup.
To show he was serious, he hit Brazil with punishing tariffs, launched a trade investigation and imposed some of the most severe sanctions at his disposal against the Supreme Court justice overseeing the case.
Brazil responded on Thursday by convicting Mr. Bolsonaro anyway, sentencing him to more than 27 years in prison for overseeing a failed plot to stay in power after losing the 2022 elections.
Defiance has defined Brazil’s response to Mr. Trump since he began trying to bully the country. So far, it hasn’t resulted in disaster.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has watched his poll numbers rise as he has denounced his American counterpart. Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice targeted by sanctions, has been fiercely backed by Brazil’s democratic institutions. And last month, when Mr. Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian exports took effect, Brazil said its global exports actually rose 4 percent because of increased purchases by China.
“Does anyone believe that a tweet from a foreign government official will change a ruling in the Supreme Court?” Justice Flávio Dino said as he cast his vote this past week to convict Mr. Bolsonaro.
