White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that the president applied rates and sanctions against Brazil to protect “freedom of expression” and that the country will not be afraid to use “economic and military power” to defend it.
The statement was given in response to a question during a press conference. Leavitt was asked if they foresee more sanctions to Brazil due to the former president’s judgment at the Supreme Court (STF) and also to other European countries that would be censoring freedom of expression, according to the journalist.
The spokesman stated that freedom of expression “is the most important question of our time” and that Trump faced censorship to return to the presidency and takes this question seriously. “This is why we take significant actions towards Brazil, in the form of sanctions and also using tariffs, to ensure that countries around the world do not punish their citizens in this way,” said the press secretary.
Leavitt said Trump is protecting the country’s interests abroad and in the US himself. “So I have no additional action to anticipate for you today, but I can say that this is a priority for management, and the president is not afraid to use economic power and the military power of the United States of America to protect freedom of expression around the world,” he concluded.
The statement is given at the time when the Supreme Court (STF) judges Bolsonaro and seven other defendants accused of an articulation to prevent Lula’s inauguration in the presidency.
Bolsonaro allies expect more US sanctions with the probable conviction of the former president this week. It is expected that there is a new wave of visa. Americans may wait for the trial to end, scheduled to end at the end of the week, to apply new punishments.
