In a surprising turn of events, the United States has reversed its punitive measures against a prominent Brazilian judicial figure, signaling a shift in international relations.
According to CBS News, this development, involving Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his wife, and the Lex Institute, came on Friday, December 12, 2025, after a diplomatic dialogue between President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Let’s rewind to the roots of this saga, which began with the Trump administration’s initial sanctions in July 2025, targeting de Moraes for what they saw as overreach in curbing free speech and ordering questionable detentions.
These sanctions, enacted under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, were paired with hefty tariffs on Brazilian goods, including a 40% levy on top of an existing 10% rate, citing Brazil’s handling of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s prosecution as an economic concern.
Bolsonaro, often dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics” for his alignment with conservative values, was convicted for allegedly scheming to cling to power after losing the 2022 election to Lula, landing him a 27-year prison sentence that began in November 2025.
At 70, Bolsonaro’s health woes have prompted a plea for house arrest, though the anticipated uproar from his base fizzled out—yet his political clout looms large ahead of Brazil’s 2026 elections.
Meanwhile, de Moraes stirred controversy in August 2024 by suspending Elon Musk’s X platform in Brazil over misinformation concerns, a move reversed two months later, but not without raising eyebrows, especially given Musk’s ties to Trump’s campaign.
Fast forward to September 2025, when Trump and Lula began patching up their frosty rapport at the United Nations General Assembly, followed by further talks in Malaysia in October, setting the stage for last month’s tariff rollback on Brazilian beef and coffee.
The sanctions lift on de Moraes came after Brazil’s lower house passed a key amnesty bill, which the U.S. interpreted as a step toward fairer judicial practices—call it a diplomatic olive branch, though skeptics might wonder if it’s just good trade optics with a $6.8 billion surplus at stake.
Brazil’s government hailed the sanctions repeal as a triumph, with Gleisi Hoffmann, the minister for institutional relations, declaring, “It was Lula who put this repeal on Donald Trump's desk, in a dignifying and sovereign dialogue.”
She didn’t stop there, adding, “It is a big defeat for the family of Jair Bolsonaro, traitors who have conspired against Brazil and the judiciary.”—a sharp jab that underscores the deep rift, though one wonders if such rhetoric heals or harms national unity.
On the flip side, Eduardo Bolsonaro, Jair’s son and a lawmaker, reacted “with regret” to the news, later posting on social media about a lack of cohesion worsening their plight, hoping Trump’s pivot still serves American interests.
Trump himself had previously called Bolsonaro’s trial an “international disgrace,” a sentiment echoing the frustration of many conservatives who see judicial overreach as a global threat to free expression, not just a Brazilian problem.
While this sanctions reversal marks a warming of U.S.-Brazil ties, it’s hard to ignore the lingering tension—Lula’s push to shield Latin America from conflict in Venezuela under Trump’s military directives hints at broader geopolitical chess moves yet to unfold.