Trump slams Brazil's Bolsonaro coup trial as 'witch hunt', Lula rejects 'interference'
Trump accused Brazilian authorities of carrying out a "WITCH HUNT" against the 70-year-old firebrand, warning they should "LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE".
His comments drew a quick and sharp rebuke.
Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva set diplomatic niceties aside and hit back at Trump's "interference", adding that "no one is above the law".
Bolsonaro is facing trial, accused of leading a "criminal organisation" that plotted a coup to keep him in power after his 2022 election.
He faces up to 40 years in prison if found guilty. According to prosecutors, the alleged coup plot failed due to a lack of support from the military high command.
The case carries echoes of Trump's prosecution over the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot, when his supporters overran the US Congress to try to reverse his election loss.
Trump pleaded not guilty, and the case was abandoned when he was reelected president – giving him immunity from prosecution.
Bolsonaro has similarly protested his innocence, while trying to rally supporters with a series of protests that have further polarised Brazilian politics.
The cases have drawn the Trump and Bolsonaro families together, with the Brazilian ex-leader's sons lobbying hard to have a Supreme Court judge hit with US sanctions and for Trump to weigh in.
That effort now appears to have succeeded, with unclear repercussions for relations between the largest economies in North and South America.
Bolsonaro's son Eduardo praised Trump's post and said it "would not be the only news coming from the United States in the near future".
Trump addressed the case at length in a social media post and suggested Bolsonaro was the favourite in next year's election – despite being banned from running because he spread misinformation about the voting system.
"I have watched, as has the World, as they have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year!" Trump said in the Truth Social post.
"It happened to me, times 10," Trump said. "I have gotten to know Jair Bolsonaro, and he was a strong Leader, who truly loved his Country - Also, a very tough negotiator on TRADE," Trump said.
Like Trump, Bolsonaro claims to be the victim of political persecution.
Trump's comments came as Lula hosted representatives from China, Russia, Iran, and other nations for a BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.
04:34
Leaders attending the summit criticised Trump's tariffs and his bombing of Iran, drawing the US president's ire and a threat of 10 percent additional tariffs on each BRICS-aligned country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Bulgaria to adopt euro in 2026, after European Union gives green light
EU ministers gave the final green light on Tuesday for Bulgaria to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, making it the single currency area's 21 st member. Bulgaria's switch from the lev to the euro comes nearly 19 years after the country of 6.4 million people joined the European Union. In adopting the legal texts necessary for the move, EU finance ministers officially set the euro at 1.95583 Bulgarian lev. Tuesday's approval came after the European Commission said last month the EU's poorest country had fulfilled the strict conditions to adopt the euro, while the European Central Bank also gave a positive opinion. Bulgaria's journey to joining the eurozone has had a stormy political backdrop with seven elections in three years, most recently in October 2024. President Rumen Radev shocked many when he proposed holding a referendum on the matter, but that was given short shrift by the Bulgarian parliament. Recent polls show Bulgarian society remains divided on the currency, with experts attributing the skepticism largely to fears of rising prices and declining purchasing power. Protesters have gathered in Sofia to call for "keeping the Bulgarian lev" since June, with a symbolic camp with several tents set up near the presidency and the Bulgarian National Bank. Far-right opposition parties have used the issue to promote anti-EU narratives. Proponents in Bulgaria, however, insist the move will help improve the country's economy, reinforce its ties to the West and protect against Russia's influence. Euro club grows to 21 The green light comes as the euro has been gaining in value against the US dollar, with President Donald Trump's protectionist trade policies shaking trust in the American currency. Only 12 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Greece, were part of the single currency area when the first euro bills and coins were rolled out on January 1, 2002. It gradually widened with Slovenia joining in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014 then Lithuania in 2015. Croatia was the last country to join in 2023, bringing the total to 20. Bulgaria wanted to adopt the euro sooner, but Brussels judged its inflation was too high to meet the necessary criteria. EU states that want to join the single currency must demonstrate that their economy has converged with other eurozone countries and that their finances are under control. Conditions include holding inflation to no more than 1.5 percentage points higher than the rate of the three best-performing EU countries. When Brussels gave its backing in June, it said Bulgaria's average inflation rate during the 12 months up to April 2025 was 2.7 percent, just below the needed level.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize as leaders discuss Gaza truce
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, presenting the US president with a letter he sent to the prize committee. It came as Trump hosted Netanyahu for dinner at the White House on Monday as he pressed the Israeli prime minister to end the devastating Gaza war.
Euronews
6 hours ago
- Euronews
Samsung expects profit to halve as tariffs and export curbs bite
A new forecast from the memory chip and smartphone maker Samsung Electronics fell significantly short of market expectations in the second quarter this year. The warnings arrive as trade tariffs and US restrictions on China continue to take a toll on the South Korean tech giant. Operating profit is expected to be approximately 4.6 trillion Korean won (€2.86 bn), 56% less than the 10.44tn won Samsung reported a year ago. The firm forecasts its sales revenue to be around 74tn Korean won (€46 billion) for the three months ending in June 2025, which is unchanged compared to the previous year. 'Samsung Electronics' recent struggles continued as it warned on profit,' said AJ Bell investment analyst Dan Coatsworth. 'The company has been heavily impacted by US restrictions on the sale of AI chips to China.' Washington first started to restrict the flow of semiconductors from the US to China in 2022 as a means to hamper Beijing's tech ambitions. The White House has since ramped up these measures several times, also hurting American chip firms like Nvidia that sell into China. Samsung is one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world and is also a leading maker of memory chips, used in devices such as laptops and servers. The company's semiconductor business also saw a profit decline due to inventory-related costs, and the firm is being negatively impacted by new tariffs from the White House. US President Donald Trump has announced a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, along with new tariff rates on other countries, starting on 1 August. Before the latest US tariff rate was announced, promising export data from South Korea raised hopes that semiconductors could drive up the country's exports. They hit a record in June, rising 11.6%. Samsung also announced a 3.9 trillion won stock buyback program to enhance shareholder value. When a company buys back its own shares, the stock price usually goes up due to higher demand. Typically, the repurchased shares are cancelled, reducing the total number of shares outstanding. This gives remaining shareholders a proportionally larger ownership stake in the company. The share price was down 0.5% at the close in Seoul, but Samsung's stock is still up 15% year to date. The company will report quarterly results at the end of July.
