Americas
Brazil’s Court Defies Trump, Signals No Retreat on Bolsonaro
Jair Bolsonaro, center, during a break at the Supreme Federal Court in Brasilia, Brazil, on June 9.
Photographer: Arthur Menescal/BloombergDonald Trump’s tariff threat against Brazil over a legal probe into his political ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, caught the Supreme Court in Brasilia off guard.
The top court is in recess during July — not all its judges were even in the country — making it difficult to convene to formulate a response. But as soon as Trump threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil on July 9, a group of justices immediately began discussing a response aimed more at asserting national sovereignty than easing tensions with the US.