Trump’s meddling in Brazil sparks anti-U.S. sentiment across Latin America

Department of Research, Studies and International News01-08-2025

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again drawn global criticism for interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign nations, this time by targeting Brazil’s democratic institutions in a blatant show of favoritism toward his ally, the far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.

Over recent months, Trump has intensified pressure on Brazil in an apparent attempt to shield Bolsonaro from legal consequences over his alleged role in a failed coup attempt. In response to Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial, Trump unilaterally imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports and sanctioned a Brazilian Supreme Court judge, an unprecedented act of economic and diplomatic aggression that has stunned political observers and triggered widespread outrage.

These actions have been widely interpreted as Trump’s attempt to punish Brazil for prosecuting Bolsonaro, who faces serious charges related to efforts to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power following the 2022 presidential election. The case has strong parallels to Trump’s own efforts to cling to power after losing to Joe Biden in 2020. Both figures, united by populist rhetoric and anti-democratic tendencies, have sought to undermine electoral legitimacy in their respective countries.

Leading analysts have condemned Trump’s intervention, labeling it a reckless affront to Brazil’s hard-won democratic gains. Harvard political scientist Steven Levitsky described the move as emblematic of Trump’s autocratic instincts, comparing him to notorious 20th-century despots. “There’s no economic or foreign policy rationale behind this,” Levitsky noted. “Trump is exploiting U.S. state power for personal political purposes, just like a textbook authoritarian.”

Brazilian society, which emerged from a brutal military dictatorship in the mid-1980s, views such interference with deep alarm. Rubens Ricupero, a former Brazilian finance minister and ambassador to Washington, warned that Trump’s aggressive tactics would only fuel rising anti-U.S. sentiment across the region. “In the past, they sent in the Marines. Now they send tariffs,” he remarked bitterly.

For many Brazilians, Trump’s intrusion is an intolerable overstep. It not only threatens the country’s judiciary but also undermines its political independence. Marcelo Rubens Paiva, a democracy advocate whose father was murdered during Brazil’s military rule, called Trump’s behavior “unacceptable and imperial.” He noted that Trump appears to view himself as a global kingmaker who demands loyalty and obedience from foreign nations.

Analysts are divided on what exactly motivates Trump’s campaign against Brazil. Some believe he aims to reestablish a far-right axis in Latin America by reviving Bolsonaro’s declining political career. Currently, Trump still enjoys ideological support from regional figures like Argentina’s Javier Milei and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele. Others argue that Trump’s maneuvers mask a more pragmatic aim: serving U.S. corporate interests, particularly in the tech sector, by intimidating Brazilian regulators.

Regardless of motive, Trump’s involvement has stirred significant domestic backlash in Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the target of Bolsonaro’s attempted power grab, appears to have been politically strengthened by the confrontation. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro and his inner circle are facing growing public rejection. The conservative daily Estado de São Paulo recently called Bolsonaro “one of the greatest traitors this nation has ever seen.”

Despite Trump’s efforts, Bolsonaro is already barred from running for office until 2030 and is widely expected to receive a severe sentence. Though he denies the charges, he has openly admitted to contemplating “alternative measures” to prevent President Lula from taking office.

Paiva argues that Trump is pushing for Bolsonaro to enjoy the same impunity that he himself has enjoyed in the U.S., but this strategy may be backfiring. “Bolsonaro has destroyed any remaining credibility he had,” he said.

Trump’s interference in Brazil is not only a stark reminder of Washington’s history of undermining Latin American sovereignty but also a dangerous signal of how far U.S. influence can be manipulated by individual whims. As Brazil resists this latest attempt at foreign coercion, many in the Global South are reaffirming their calls for a multipolar world order, one where regional nations are free from Western hegemony and able to shape their own democratic paths.