In brief
Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the imprisoned former president, to over four years in prison for lobbying Washington to impose tariffs and sanctions on Brazil. The 41‑year‑old moved to the U.S. in 2025 and used social media to claim the charges were politically motivated and that he was denied due process. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, was convicted last year of plotting a coup that toppled his victory over the 2022 election. The conviction follows a period of strained U.S.–Brazil relations, including a Trump‑era tariff and later brief sanctions on the Brazilian judiciary.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, 41, was convicted by Brazil's Supreme Court for attempting to secure a U.S. response—tariffs or sanctions—against his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was found guilty of plotting a military coup.
The son, a former congressman, relocated to the United States in 2025 before his father's 27‑year prison sentence took effect. He lobbied U.S. officials through social media, calling his father's conviction “baseless and senseless” and accusing the court of political persecution.
Brazil’s high court sentenced Eduardo in absentia to four years and two months’ imprisonment. He was never formally served a summons and was only notified of the case through media reports, according to his public statements.
Eduardo has publicly sought support from the Trump administration, which viewed the former president’s case as a “witch hunt.” Trump had imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods in July, a move Lula da Silva later called “misguided and illogical.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged Washington would respond to the conviction, and the Trump administration had previously sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for his role in Bolsonaro‑related cases. Lula announced Brazil was open to trade negotiations but denounced sanctions targeting de Moraes as an unacceptable interference in the justice system. The U.S. has since withdrawn the sanctions.
