Understand the climb of tension between USA and Brazil

Trump’s offensive starts to include revocation of Minister Alexandre de Moraes’s visa and “allies”, threat of tariff and investigation against Pix. Among the requirements of the White House is the end of Bolsonaro’s trial

Hours after Federal Supreme Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes determine the use of an electronic anklet and other precautionary measures to former President Jair Bolsonaro, the United States government prohibited the entry of the magistrate, his “allies” and familiar to the country.

The announcement of the “immediate visas” revocation came from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On Friday (07/18) at night, he published in X that the sanction comes in response to the “Witch Hunt” against Bolsonaro-an expression previously used by Trump to criticize the performance of the Brazilian judiciary in relation to the former president, accused of idealizing and trying to execute a coup plan.

“The witch hunt promoted by the Supreme Court Minister of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, against Jair Bolsonaro has created such a broad persecution and censorship apparatus that not only violates the fundamental rights of Brazilians, but also surpasses Brazil’s borders to reach US citizens,” Rubio said.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the measure in the X: “My solidarity and support to the ministers of the Supreme Court reached by another arbitrary and completely founded measure of the United States government. The interference of one country in another justice system is unacceptable and hurts the basic principles of respect and sovereignty between nations”.

This is the latest clash between the governments of both countries, part of a dynamic that has gained breathtaking with the USA of licensed federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Bolsonaro, in February. Since then, he has intensified his offensive to get support from conservative organizations and sectors of the US government to get support to free his father of legal and political sanctions in Brazil.

Recently, Trump administration threatened the country with 50% tariffs on its products and accused Brazil of “unfair practices” with operations such as Pix, opening a commercial investigation.

The Brazilian government, in turn, called the US embassy business in charge and accused Washington of political blackmail. President Lula classified rates as “unacceptable interference” and said that Brazil does not give up its sovereignty.

See what is at stake with the growth of hostilities between the two countries.

US entry prohibition

Alexandre de Moraes was the only person quoted by Rubio in his announcement of revoking this Friday, and it was not clear that other STF ministers will be impacted by the measure.

In the Valor Econômico newspaper, in an Anonymous condition, one of the court ministers mocked the threat by saying “we will always have Paris,” a phrase immortalized in the 1942 movie Casablanca.

The American State Department, commanded by Rubio, had already given signs of what would come by announcing the restriction of entry to the US of enemy foreign authorities of “freedom of expression.”

The Western Hemisphere Office, which is part of the department, published at the time, in Portuguese: “Let it be clear: no enemy of Americans’ freedom of expression will be forgiven.”

Eduardo Bolsonaro thanked Trump and Rubio in his networks for the revocation of the Moraes visa and said that we “want magnitsky”, in reference to the law that allows unilateral punishments to foreigners accused of severe corruption or human rights violations.

Rubio’s latest announcement does not deal with financial sanctions, such as freezing any assets and assets in the US, provided for in the cases defined by law – which was not discarded by Trump.

On Thursday, the agent sent a letter to Bolsonaro in which he reinforced his support and stressed the desire that the criminal action against the former president will “immediately”, as well as the “ridiculous regime of censorship” in Brazil.

“I saw the terrible treatment you are receiving in the hands of an unfair system turned against you. This trial should end immediately! I’m not surprised to see you leading in the polls; you were a highly respected and strong leader who served your country well,” Trump said in the letter.

50% rates

The American government’s criticism of Brazil has been intensified since July 9, when Trump announced 50% tariffs on imports from Brazil from August.

President Lula said he would seek dialogue to try to reverse the tariff, but will retaliate to the same extent if there is no negotiation with the United States.

“We can resort to the WTO [Organização Mundial do Comércio]propose international investigations, charge explanations. But the main one is the law of reciprocity, approved in Congress. If he charges 50% of us, we will charge 50% of him, ”Lula said in an interview with Rede TV on July 10.

During a statement on a national TV network, Lula accused the US president of being “unacceptable blackmail” by threatening tariffs, said that trying to interfere with Brazil’s court is “a serious attack on national sovereignty”.

Action against Pix

On July 15, the Donald Trump government opened an investigation against various practices that the White House described as potentially “unfair”: obligations and fines against American social networks, Brazilian trade agreements with Mexico and India and tariffs applied to ethanol, among others.

Among the alleged “unfair” practices mentioned is the PIX, the instant electronic payment system created in 2020 by the Central Bank that facilitated and cheaped bank transfers in the country – and displeased large US credit card companies.

The investigation has been opened based on US trade legislation, which provides for reaction to “acts, policies or practices of a foreign country that are derailed or discriminatory and impairs or restricts US commerce.”

According to the US government, these means of payment could harm “the competitiveness of US companies that work in digital commerce and electronic payment services.”

The Pix theme was again bothered Trump during the BRICS meeting in early July, held in Rio de Janeiro. Block members discuss the creation of their own financial infrastructure, with the interconnection of their instant payment systems – a possible threat to the hegemony of the US dollar.

Big Techs Pressure

The pressure of technology giants has been pointed out as one of Trump’s main factors behind Tom and actions against Brazil.

Companies such as Google, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), X and Telegram have crashed a direct clash with the STF, which has determined stricter content removal rules and blockage of accounts.

Trump, himself owner of a social network, accuses the Supreme of censoring social networks. Company pressure, combined with Trump’s conservative politicians’ lobby and very interest in attacking enemies of its ideological basis, has heavily weighed on measures against Brazil.

On the subject, Lula said: “He [Trump] He said, ‘I don’t want American companies, platform companies to be charged in Brazil.’ I will say one thing, the world has to know that this country is only sovereign. I wanted to tell you that we will judge and charge tax from US companies, ”he said during the National Student Union Congress in July.

Originally published by DW on 19/07/2025