Brazil Supreme Court's Bolsonaro trial concludes under Trump's scrutiny

2/9/2025 19:01

The landmark trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro enters its final phase on Tuesday as the Supreme Court begins hearing closing arguments in the case accusing the 70-year-old right-wing firebrand of orchestrating a plot to remain in power after he lost his 2022 reelection bid.



The final stretch of the trial, expected to conclude by September 12, will unfold under the glare of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has vowed to keep track of the case he denounced as a "witch hunt" against his Brazilian ally.



Trump used the case as his main argument to impose sweeping 50% tariffs on many Brazilian imports, sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the judge overseeing the proceedings, and took away the visas of most of his colleagues.



Bolsonaro has consistently maintained his innocence, even as he relinquished any hope of being acquitted by the Supreme Court, as he told Reuters in a July interview.