On Wednesday, the White House issued a Presidential Action describing actions to be taken against certain members of the government of Brazil. The Action bears the title “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Brazil.” This action not only targets these individuals, including Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, but also places new tariffs on imports from Brazil.
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.
We should note that former (and future?) Trump ally Elon Musk was the target of the above-mentioned Alexandre de Moraes. This is also not the first time that Brazil’s actions have drawn the ire of President Trump himself:
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.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the sanctions in a statement released on Wednesday, noting that:
“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.
The presidential action notes that Justice de Moraes has used his position to target his political opponents, to suppress dissent against the Brazilian government, and to authorize arrests, financial seizures, and so on.
Read More: Elon Musk Stands Up to Brazil’s Thug Supreme Court Ordering X to Censor Lula’s Political Enemies
So, where do the threats to the United States come in? The presidential action states in part:
When United States and United States-headquartered companies have refused to comply with his unlawful censorship demands, Justice de Moraes has imposed substantial fines on United States and United States-headquartered companies, ordered the suspension of United States and United States-headquartered companies in Brazil, and threatened United States and United States-headquartered company executives with criminal prosecution. In fact, Justice de Moraes is currently overseeing the Government of Brazil’s criminal prosecution of a United States resident for speech he made on United States soil.
So President Trump is ordering not only the imposition of increased tariffs on Brazil, but also leaves an option to increase tariffs yet again should Brazil retaliate. As the old saying goes, the key to playing chicken is knowing when to flinch, but in this kind of game, President Trump has shown himself quite adept.
Justice de Moraes also has an unsavory history with a former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, having taken actions against the former president, including unilaterally revoking the latter’s passport.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quick to weigh in:
.@POTUS and @USTreasury have sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program for serious human rights abuses. Let this be a warning to those who would trample on the fundamental rights of their countrymen—judicial robes…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 30, 2025
You may view the entire presidential action here.
This remains a developing story. Stay tuned.
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