US President Donald Trump has publicly defended former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro after he was sentenced to over 27 years in prison for trying to stage a coup.
Speaking at the White House as reporters asked him for a reaction, Trump expressed surprise and outrage at the judgment delivered by Brazil's Supreme Federal Court.
“Jair Bolsonaro was an outstanding leader. Now, it’s a terrible thing for Brazil,” Trump said. “I watched that trial. I know him pretty well, a foreign leader. I thought he was a good president of Brazil. And it’s very surprising that that could happen.”
Drawing a parallel with his own legal battles, Trump added, “That’s very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it at all. But I can always say this: I knew him as the president of Brazil. He was a good man, and I don’t see that happening.”
Bolsonaro's sentence is for 27 years and three months, after a 4–1 ruling by the five-judge Supreme Federal Court panel. He had faced charges of plotting a coup, attempting to end democratic rule by force, membership in a criminal organization formed for the purpose of committing crimes with firearms, aggravated damage to property, and destruction of the nation's cultural heritage.
The trial, which started on September 2, concluded this week with Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Flavio Dino, Carmen Lucia, and Cristiano Zanin casting votes for conviction, and Justice Luiz Fux dissenting in favor of Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who missed the last stage of the trial, is in house arrest. He has persistently stated that the process is political, aimed at stifling his bid to run in the 2026 presidential election — an election in which he has already been disqualified from participation by previous verdicts. Describing the process as a "witch hunt," he has said he will appeal the verdict before the entire 11-member bench of the Supreme Federal Court.
The decision has provoked global controversy. While Trump and other Bolsonaro allies have portrayed the conviction as a rejection of conservative leadership, pro-democracy campaigners and human rights organisations in Brazil have welcomed the judiciary for protecting the country's constitutional order.
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