U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would respond after former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election. He did not detail the precise steps but made clear the posture had shifted.

“The political persecutions by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes continue, as he and others on Brazil’s supreme court have unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Rubio wrote on X.

“The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt,” he continued.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry blasted Rubio’s statement as a threat that “attacks Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and the compelling evidence in the records.” Officials in Brasília insisted their democracy “would not be intimidated” by U.S. criticism.

Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison by Brazil’s Supreme Court on charges tied to an alleged plot to block President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office. The ruling instantly raised the stakes for U.S.-Brazil relations and for pro-democracy voices inside Brazil who see the court’s concentration of power as a danger to free expression.

President Trump responded with a pointed comparison to his own experience with politicized prosecutions, while defending Bolsonaro’s record in office.

“Well, I watched that trial. I know him pretty well. I thought he was a good president of Brazil, and it’s very surprising that could happen very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it at all,” Trump told reporters, noting the legal cases against the U.S. president in recent years at the state and federal level, which included his conviction in New York.

“But I can always say this: I knew him as president of Brazil. He was a good man,” he added.

Rubio has already taken concrete steps. He announced visa revocations for Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes—the judge presiding over Bolsonaro’s case—along with unspecified allies on the court after a series of aggressive measures against Bolsonaro and his circle. The U.S. Treasury Department has also sanctioned de Moraes over allegations of authorizing arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppressing freedom of expression, signaling that Washington views the crackdown as part of a broader civil-liberties problem.

The economic front has been active as well. This summer, President Trump imposed 50% tariffs on most Brazilian goods in response to what he called a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro, and later carved out exemptions for certain exports, including passenger vehicles and parts used in civil aircraft. The move underscored a leverage-first strategy meant to deter political persecution by raising costs for governments that weaponize courts.

In Brazil, Bolsonaro’s family signaled that more measures from Washington are likely. His son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, said he expects additional sanctions against justices who voted to convict the former president and specifically raised the risk of penalties under the Magnitsky Act.

“We are going to have a firm response with actions from the U.S. government against this dictatorship that is being installed in Brazil,” he told Reuters.

“If these Supreme Court justices keep following Moraes, they also run the risk of facing the same sanction,” he said.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry fired back that the judiciary acted on “compelling evidence,” but the pushback in Washington is now anchored in policy, not just rhetoric. A mix of targeted sanctions, visa bans, and tariff pressure forms a toolbox designed to support democratic norms abroad without plunging into broader conflict.

For conservatives, the contrast is clear. The United States should stand with elected leaders who governed as allies, defend free speech, and punish foreign officials who use courts to erase opposition. Trump’s approach—sanctions, leverage, unapologetic diplomacy—puts American power behind those principles.

The coming days will test resolve on both sides. If Brasília doubles down on jailing political opponents, expect Washington to escalate. If Brazil’s courts step back from the brink, pressure can ease. Either way, the standard is set: no free passes for judicial authoritarianism masquerading as rule of law.

America leads best when it defends liberty, not lectures about it. Back allies, punish abusers, and keep the world’s authoritarians guessing—because that is how freedom advances and how this administration wins.

President Trump’s warning shot stands: play politics with justice, and pay a price.