Brazilian Supreme Court Convicts Bolsonaro’s Son for Attempting U.S. Intervention
The Supreme Court of Brazil ruled on Thursday that Eduardo Bolsonaro, the 41‑year‑old son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, was guilty of lobbying U.S. officials to seek sanctions or tariffs on Brazil in order to assist his father’s 2023 coup trial. The verdict was delivered in absentia, with a sentence of four years and two months.
Eduardo relocated to the United States in 2025 after the trial of his father, who was found guilty of plotting a military coup and sentenced to 27 years, began. In a social‑media post the week before his conviction, he called the proceedings “baseless and senseless” and accused the justices of attempting to prevent him from running for office. He asserted that he was never formally served and only learned of the case through media reports.
The U.S. has had a fraught relationship with Brazil over the past year. Donald Trump, who once described Bolsonaro’s case as a “witch hunt,” imposed a 50 % tariff on Brazilian goods in July 2023 – a measure Lula’s administration deemed misguided and illogical. The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, later warned Washington would respond to the conviction, and the Trump administration had even sanctioned a Brazilian Supreme Court justice for alleged abuses in the Bolsonaro case.
Lula said Brazil was willing to negotiate with the U.S. on trade but condemned sanctions targeting a judicial officer as "unacceptable" interference in Brazil’s justice system. The sanctions were later withdrawn.
The broader backdrop of the coup trial reflects a climate of political tension: Jair Bolsonaro and Trump had a warm relationship during overlapping presidencies, meeting at the White House in 2019. Both men lost subsequent elections and refused to publicly concede defeat. The older Bolsonaro faced conviction for attempting to overturn his 2022 election loss, partly through a January 2023 assault on Brazilian government buildings by his supporters.
