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.
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.
