Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, intensifying political tensions already inflamed by US President Donald Trump`s vocal support and escalating economic retaliation.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes—himself recently sanctioned by the US Treasury—issued the arrest order on Monday, citing Bolsonaro’s repeated violations of court-imposed restraining orders and alleged efforts to involve Trump in his legal defense.
Police carried out the order Monday evening at Bolsonaro’s residence in Brasília, seizing his cell phone and restricting visits to only his lawyers and court-approved individuals.
The former president faces trial before Brazil`s highest court on charges of conspiring with allies to overturn his 2022 election loss to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro and his legal team deny any wrongdoing and have vowed to appeal the arrest order.
The move comes amid escalating diplomatic friction. The US State Department condemned Bolsonaro’s arrest, accusing Moraes of weaponizing Brazilian institutions to suppress opposition.
President Trump has referred to the trial as a “witch hunt,” using it as justification to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports starting Wednesday. He has also warned of potentially harsher penalties.
Justice Moraes defended the arrest, saying Bolsonaro had made repeated attempts to circumvent restrictions, including appearing virtually at a recent far-right demonstration in Rio de Janeiro through a phone call to his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. “Justice is blind, but not foolish,” Moraes wrote in his ruling.
Flávio Bolsonaro criticized the decision in a statement to CNN Brasil, calling it “a clear act of vengeance” following the US sanctions on Moraes. He urged the Supreme Court to “rein in” the justice, whom he accused of stirring national unrest.
Bolsonaro’s supporters staged mass protests on Sunday—the largest in months—demonstrating continued support for the far-right former president despite the charges.
Analysts suggest Trump`s attacks on Moraes and his economic pressure on Brazil may have energized Bolsonaro’s political base, though some within his camp worry the strategy is backfiring by consolidating support for President Lula’s leftist administration.
The case against Bolsonaro stems from a two-year investigation into a post-election disinformation campaign and a failed attempt to subvert democratic institutions, culminating in the January 2023 riots in Brasília—events widely compared to the January 6 Capitol riots in Washington, D.C., following Trump’s 2020 loss.
In contrast to the slow-moving legal challenges against Trump in the US, Brazil’s judiciary has taken swift action. Bolsonaro has already been barred from seeking public office until 2030 by the country’s electoral court.
Meanwhile, another of Bolsonaro’s sons, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, has relocated to the United States, reportedly to lobby on behalf of his father. He claims his efforts helped influence Trump’s decision to impose steep tariffs on Brazilian goods.
In a recent letter shared by Trump, he expressed solidarity with Bolsonaro, writing: “I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This trial should end immediately!”
Experts warn the situation could further escalate. Graziella Testa, a political scientist at the Federal University of Paraná, said Bolsonaro appears to be provoking confrontation, while political analyst Leonardo Barreto described the arrest as likely to be interpreted as retaliation for the US Magnitsky-style sanctions placed on Justice Moraes last week.
