Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is sporting a new ankle monitor after police raided his home on Friday at the orders of the nation’s Supreme Court and attached the device to him.
Bolsonaro is about to stand trial for his alleged coup plot after he lost the 2022 Brazilian Presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He denies that he was involved, but he has made claims of election fraud, which his supporters drew on in their assault on Brazil’s capital, Brasilia.
The former Brazilian President is also banned from using social media, has to adhere to an evening curfew, and cannot communicate with foreign diplomats or venture near embassies.
Bolsanaro’s legal team says they are surprised about the new measures. They received the measures “with surprise and indignation,” and said, “Until now, he has always complied with all rulings issued by the Judiciary.”
The Trump administration opposes Bolsonaro’s treatment and launched a trade investigation into the country earlier this week.
“At President [Donald] Trump’s direction, I am launching a Section 301 investigation into Brazil’s attacks on American social media companies as well as other unfair trading practices that harm American companies, workers, farmers, and technology innovators,” Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer said in a statement.
President Donald Trump said last Friday that he believed Brazil was treating Bolsonaro “unfairly.”
“They’re treating President Bolsonaro very unfairly. He’s a good man,” Trump said.
“I shouldn’t like him because he was very tough in negotiation, but he was also very honest. And I know the honest ones, and I know the crooked ones,” the president added. He wrote a letter to Bolsonaro on Thursday blasting the Brazilian government as a “ridiculous censorship regime.”
He also threatened Brazil with a 50% tariff that would go into effect on Aug. 1 barring a deal.
Lula, who was deeply implicated in Bolsonaro’s alleged coup attempt, is savoring the moment to energize his progressive base.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHES TRADE INVESTIGATION INTO BRAZIL AFTER ‘WITCH HUNT’ AGAINST BOLSONARO
“We don’t want to fight, but we don’t flee,” Lula said Thursday.
“Brazil only has one owner: the Brazilian people,” he added.