Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended the Supreme Court trial that convicted his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, and sharply criticized recent U.S. tariff measures in an opinion piece published in the New York Times.
Lula called the verdict "a historic decision which safeguards our institutions and the democratic rule of law" and dismissed U.S. complaints that the trial was a "witch hunt." He also described the decision by the United States to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports as "not only misguided but illogical," saying the move appeared politically motivated.
The trial concluded on Thursday when four of the five Supreme Court justices on the panel found Bolsonaro guilty on all five charges against him. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison; his lawyers said they would appeal. The U.S. response included surprise from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who called the verdict "very surprising," and criticism from U.S. politicians. Senator Marco Rubio said the United States would "respond accordingly to this witch hunt." The U.S. has also applied sanctions under the Magnitsky Act related to the proceedings, targeting a Supreme Court justice involved in the case.
In his piece, Lula sought to frame the trial as consistent with Brazil's post-dictatorship constitutional order. He noted that the 1988 Constitution was enacted after two decades of military rule and said the judgment followed legal processes established under that constitution. "The judgement was the result of proceedings carried out in accordance with Brazil's 1988 Constitution," he wrote, adding that Brazil's democracy, restored in 1985, must be defended.
Lula disputed U.S. allegations that Brazil's judiciary and regulators have unfairly targeted American technology companies, saying Brazilian courts were right to regulate the internet and that U.S. firms were not being singled out. He also cited trade figures, saying the United States had accumulated a $410 billion surplus in bilateral trade in goods and services over the past 15 years and arguing that the tariff hike could only be political.
The New York Times column was presented by Lula as an effort to open a frank dialogue with Trump amid a period of heightened tensions between Brasília and Washington. Relations have deteriorated since Bolsonaro, a right-wing ally of Trump who visited Mar-a-Lago in 2020 and often expressed admiration for the former U.S. president, left office. Lula, a left-wing leader with a different foreign-policy orientation, said Brazil remains open to negotiating measures that "bring mutual benefits," while warning that "Brazil's democracy and sovereignty are not on the table."
Brazilian officials have not detailed next steps regarding international disputes over the verdict and the tariff measures, but Lula's intervention underscores the diplomatic strain between the two nations as legal and trade conflicts intersect. Bolsonaro's legal team has indicated it will pursue appeals in Brazil's courts, and the international response is likely to shape bilateral relations in the coming weeks.