Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, has openly endorsed Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports while campaigning in Washington for further sanctions against his homeland.
The congressman, living in what he calls “exile” over fears of arrest, told the BBC he supports Trump’s economic measures against Brazil’s government, which is currently prosecuting his father for alleged coup plotting following the 2022 election loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The younger Bolsonaro revealed ongoing discussions with US officials about expanding Magnitsky Act sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court justices, particularly targeting Alexandre de Moraes, the judge overseeing his father’s case.
Trump has likened Jair Bolsonaro’s legal troubles to his own post-2020 election “witch hunt,” imposing the steep tariffs after the US banned eight Brazilian judges from entering America. President Lula condemned the moves as unacceptable foreign interference, refusing to back down despite the economic consequences now affecting Brazilian exporters.
While Eduardo Bolsonaro cites a Quaest poll suggesting 40% of Brazilians initially supported Trump’s tariffs, he sidestepped data showing 79% believe the measures will harm their livelihoods. The congressman insists his lobbying prioritizes “freedom over economy,” despite criticism that encouraging sanctions against his own country appears unpatriotic. His campaign has already triggered financial retaliation—Brazil’s Supreme Court froze his assets suspecting they fund US lobbying efforts to obstruct justice.
The January 8th Riots and the Remnants of Military Dictatorship
The Bolsonaro heir now condemns both the January 2023 Brasília government building attacks by his father’s supporters and his own 2019 suggestion to revive the dictatorship-era AI-5 decree suppressing civil liberties.
“It was a mistake,” he admits, while still arguing convicted rioters deserve amnesty. This rhetorical shift comes as his father faces possible decades in prison if convicted of plotting to overturn Lula’s election victory—charges the elder Bolsonaro denies despite admitting participation in post-election strategy meetings.
Meanwhile, Eduardo Bolsonaro predicts his father’s political ban could be lifted before the 2026 elections if Supreme Court leadership changes, though Jair Bolsonaro remains barred from office until 2030 under separate campaign violation rulings. The younger Bolsonaro, who won record congressional votes in 2022, frames his US campaign as exposing “human rights violations” under Lula, comparing himself to persecuted Iranian activists. Yet his prolonged Washington stay raises questions about political ambitions, with no current plans to return to Brazil despite claiming to miss his homeland.
The congressman confirmed discussions with Senator Marco Rubio about visa bans and other pressure tactics, leveraging Trump’s sympathy for his father’s plight.
Why It Matters
This unprecedented intervention by a sitting foreign legislator in another democracy’s judicial process has strained Brazil-US relations, with Lula’s government accusing the Bolsonaros of seeking foreign subversion of domestic law. As the coup trial verdict nears, Eduardo Bolsonaro’s Washington crusade ensures the “Trump of the Tropics” saga will continue dominating Brazil’s political landscape.
