Trump Administration Sanctions Brazilian Justice and Imposes Tariffs on Brazil over Bolsonaro Trial

The Trump Administration has announced sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression during the ongoing trial of President Jair Bolsonaro. The administration says he violates the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and other international human rights standards due to his actions of censorship, arbitrary detentions and political targeting.  President Bolsonaro is currently on trial under accusations of attempting to mastermind a coup following an election defeat during the 2022 Brazilian elections. The accusations connect him to the storming of Brazil’s Capitol.

The sanctions include freezing any assets the Brazilian justice may have within the United States, in addition to other financial penalties.

Trump has a close relationship with the former Brazilian President, as he endorsed Trump during the 2020 run, has met him at both the White House and Mar-a-lago, and has signed a trade agreement together during Trump’s first term as President.

In addition to these sanctions, the Trump Administration has imposed sweeping 50% tariffs against the country, citing a trade deficit and actions of the justices throughout Bolsonaro’s Trial. However, the United States maintains a trade surplus with Brazil. Around one-third of the US’s coffee supply lines are expected to be affected by these tariffs.

Justice de Moraes has stated that he will “ignore the sanctions” and “continue to do this job” in the trial, stating that the court will not submit to foreign coercion or what he says are continued coup attempts by Bolsonaro’s allies. He stated that the sanctions are “cowardly and treacherous,” part of a larger plot to disrupt the South American country’s democracy. Bolsonaro’s son, who has moved to the United States, is often credited with influencing much of the Trump administration’s policies on Brazil. Experts allege that this is part of a larger plan by the Trump administration to influence Brazil’s judiciary.

Extemp Analysis by: Ty Tan

Question: What are the implications of the Trump Administration’s targeting of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes?

AGD: I would probably do some clever joke about Trump and Lula, or something about Moraes and Musk. There’s a lot of joke material there.

Background:

This is a vague status quo change question, where your burden isn’t easily identifiable. To answer this, I would lay out

1. Some context on Bolsonaro, the friend and reason why Trump is targeting Alexandre de Moraes

2. Supreme Court Justice Moraes and his ruling over the Bolsonaro coup case—and why the Trump Admin dislikes it

3. The way Trump is targeting Moraes and why it could be good or bad

Answer: Major Negative Implications

1. Undermining Judicial Sovereignty

2. Eroding Global Democratic Norms

3. Straining US-Brazil Relations

Analysis + Concluding Thoughts

This question is vague so make sure your thesis is broad and encompasses the various ways your point could go. I’ll break down point 3 for clarity.

Point 3: Straining US-Brazil Relations

A: US Brazil strained in Musk vs Moraes and tariffs, yet still diplomatic

B: Trump attacks over Bolsonaro = personal bias. Diplomacy stricken as tariff negotiations hurt by broader Trump attacks on SCJ Moraes

C: Tariffs won’t be negotiated, skyrocketing prices + human impact (insert here)

I think this speech could be very nuanced, just make sure your B interacts with the change in the question well when qualifying your answer.

Read more here:

• Eleonore Hughes, AP

• Politico

• Ione Wells, BBC

• Andrea Mitchell and Julie Cuerullo, NBC

• Reuters

• Tom Phillips, The Guardian