Bolsonaro Placed Under home Arrest By US-Sanctioned Brazilian ultimate Court Head

Late Monday there’s been more escalation in the Trump-Brazil standoff over the legal fate of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The country’s top justices have ordered him to be put under house arrest.

The Supreme Court, which is still in the process of ruling on the Bolsonaro case – as he’s accused of an alleged coup attempt against his leftist rival President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – has now said he has defied a court order banning Bolsonaro from social media.

Jair Bolsonaro and justice Alexandre de Moraes. source: Secom/TSE

They say he’s attacking the nation’s institutions while still on trial, and after he’s already wearing a ankle monitoring brace.

Brazil has faced US sanctions (targeting among others Bolsonaro’s main rival and man driving what Trump has called a „witch hunt” – Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes) as well as the highest tariff rates in the world.

Moraes himself issued the house arrest order, despite now being specifically targeted by the Trump administration.

„Moraes said Bolsonaro had violated precautionary measures imposed by the court restricting the former president’s social media usage and political messaging,” according to Al Jazeera.

Moraes has said that Bolsonaro, who was president of the country between 2019 and 2022, has spread messages with „a clear content of encouragement and instigation to attacks against the Supreme Court and a blatant support for foreign intervention in the Brazilian Judiciary.”

Trump’s recent heightened intervention has added fuel to the fire, and the standoff has intensified, with the Lula government so far having refused to bend the knee.

Bolsonaro’s family members have also been very vocal, often acting as 'messenger’ – for example hailing Trump’s punitive actions targeting the Supreme Court and Lula officials.

Brazilians are against the tyranny of Alexandre de Moreas and Lula.
Down with the PT/STF regime pic.twitter.com/LeOaiVwzLb

— Direita Cristã Floripa (@direcrisflop) August 4, 2025

Sunday saw tens of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters in the streets, in the major cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. They, with Trump, want a full pardon for Bolsonaro and his officials which have been persecuted with him.