The Minister of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, participates in the plenary session of the Supreme Court (STF) in Brazil on Feb. 20, 2025, after the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) indicts the former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a coup d’etat in 2023.
Ton Molina | Nurphoto | Getty Images
The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has been a target of criticism by President Donald Trump for his handling of legal cases involving former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Shortly after those sanctions were announced, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil, with a statement from the White House referencing de Moraes.
“President Trump is defending American companies from extortion, protecting American persons from political persecution, safeguarding American free speech from censorship, and saving the American economy from being subject to the arbitrary edicts of a tyrannical foreign judge,” the statement said.
The sanctions come five months after Trump’s social media company, Trump Media, sued de Moraes for over an order by the justice to the video hosting company Rumble to suspend the accounts of a “well-known politically outspoken user” of Rumble, whose services Trump Media uses.
Trump previously said that the 50% tariffs on imports from Brazil are partly in retaliation for the ongoing criminal prosecution of Bolsonaro, an ally of his.
De Moraes last year drew the ire of mega-billionaire Elon Musk, who at the time was a close ally over Trump, by blocking Musk’s X social media platform nationwide in Brazil for failing to comply with orders banning some user accounts and to remove certain content.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro talks to the media, after the Supreme Court voted that he should stand trial for allegedly attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat, in Brasilia, Brazil, March 26, 2025.
Adriano Machado | Reuters
“Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement Wednesday announcing the sanctions, which would block any property de Moraes might have in the United States.
“De Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions — including against former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Bessent said.
“Today’s action makes clear that Treasury will continue to hold accountable those who threaten U.S. interests and the freedoms of our citizens.”
The Washington Post on July 17 reported that Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of Bolsonaro, was “working closely with the White House to impose sanctions on” de Moraes. Eduardo Bolsonaro is a federal congressman in Brazil.
De Moraes is the so-called rapporteur of cases against Jair Bolsonaro, and is sitting on a five-judge Supreme Court panel that is overseeing the former president’s trial for allegedly trying to stage a coup against sitting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and other charges.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
