Brazil’s Supreme Court just dropped a bombshell by convicting former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup to cling to power after losing the 2022 election.
Reuters reported that in a landmark ruling on September 11, 2025, in Brasilia, Bolsonaro became the first former president in Brazil’s history to be found guilty of attacking democracy, alongside seven allies, including five military officers.
This saga stretches back to Bolsonaro’s early days, starting with a stint as an army paratrooper before diving into politics on Rio de Janeiro’s city council in the 1980s.
For nearly three decades, he served as a congressman in Brasilia, often championing policies reminiscent of Brazil’s authoritarian past. His rhetoric, including a chilling remark about civil war and mass killings from his congressional days, raised eyebrows long before his presidency.
Bolsonaro rode a wave of public frustration to the presidency in 2018, capitalizing on the fallout from the “Car Wash” corruption scandal that tainted much of Brazil’s political elite.
His tenure was marked by controversy, from dismissing vaccine science during the pandemic to backing illegal mining and ranching in the Amazon, where deforestation spiked under his watch.
Fast forward to 2022, and Bolsonaro’s reelection bid against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva saw him casting doubt on the electoral process itself. His loss at the polls only fueled concerns about whether he’d accept defeat gracefully—or at all.
Post-election, evidence mounted that Bolsonaro wasn’t ready to bow out quietly. The Supreme Court, led by a panel of five justices including Alexandre de Moraes, found him guilty of multiple crimes, such as attempting to dismantle democracy and joining an armed criminal faction. Four justices voted to convict, while one, Luiz Fux, dissented on September 10, 2025, questioning the court’s authority.
“This criminal case is almost a meeting between Brazil and its past, its present, and its future,” said Justice Carmen Lucia. With all due respect to the esteemed justice, one might wonder if this trial is less about healing and more about settling political scores in a deeply divided nation.
“There was ample evidence that Bolsonaro acted to erode democracy and institutions,” Justice Lucia added. While the evidence may be compelling to some, the lone dissent from Justice Fux suggests this isn’t a slam-dunk case, potentially opening doors for legal challenges down the road.
Now under house arrest, Bolsonaro faces a staggering maximum sentence of 40 years, with the court set to finalize the penalty terms by September 12, 2025. The conviction also bars him from office until 2030, per a 2023 electoral court ruling over his baseless attacks on Brazil’s voting system.
Across the ocean, U.S. President Donald Trump didn’t mince words, slamming the verdict as a “witch hunt” and hitting back with tariff increases, sanctions on the presiding judge, and visa revocations for most of Brazil’s high court justices. It’s a bold move, signaling that America won’t sit idly by when allies face what some see as judicial overreach.
“The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt,” echoed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on social media platform X. While Rubio’s frustration resonates with many who question the fairness of this process, one hopes cooler heads will prevail before U.S.-Brazil relations take a nosedive.
Bolsonaro’s son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, watching from the U.S., anticipated Trump’s reaction and hinted at further sanctions. It’s a stark reminder that this verdict isn’t just Brazil’s headache—it’s rippling across international waters.
“I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed, or victorious,” Bolsonaro declared defiantly to evangelical leaders in 2021. That unyielding spirit might inspire his base, but it’s hard to see a path to victory when the legal noose tightens and political bans loom large.
Despite the conviction, Bolsonaro eyes a return in the 2026 presidential race, claiming, “They want to get me out of the political game next year.” While his determination is noteworthy, the reality of legal barriers casts a long shadow over such ambitions, leaving supporters to wonder if this is bravado or a genuine comeback plan.