Brazil Braces for Potential U.S. Sanctions After Bolsonaro Conviction

SAO PAULO (AP) – Brazil braced Friday for possible new U.S. sanctions linked to former President Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction on coup charges, after the governance of President Donald Trump warned it would respond “accordingly.”

Trump said he was “very unhappy” with the conviction, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on his X account that the U.S. government would “respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”

READ MORE: what to know after Brazil’s Bolsonaro is convicted and sentenced for coup attempt

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry called Rubio’s comments an inappropriate threat that would not intimidate the government, adding that the country’s judiciary is self-reliant and that Bolsonaro was granted due process.

“Threats like the one made today by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement that attacks Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and compelling evidence in the case files, will not intimidate our democracy,” Brazil’s foreign office said on X.

Sen. Rogério Carvalho, the government leader in the Senate, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday that the administration of President Luiz Inácio lula da Silva has been expecting retaliation from the United States, and would move to cushion any blow to Brazilian businesses.

“The government already has a plan to support affected companies and mitigate losses from the tariffs. Brazil is aggressively seeking new markets to make up for a potential drop in exports to the United States,” he said.

Bolsonaro was convicted Thursday by a Supreme Court panel of an attempted coup aimed at keeping him in power following his october 2022 election defeat to Lula.

Prosecutors cited Bolsonaro’s history of casting doubt on the country’s voting