Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro waves to supporters as he leaves the hospital after a weeks-long surgical stay, in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 4, 2025. Eraldo Peres/AP Photo
President Donald Trump and the Brazilian government are increasingly at odds over the handling of embattled former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial related to an alleged coup to overturn the country’s 2022 presidential election.
Trump has criticized the trial as politically motivated. Bolsonaro is accused of being a coconspirator in an attempted coup d’état following his defeat in the election. He has denied any involvement and said that he is the target of political persecution under the administration of his former competitor, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or “Lula.”
