Opinion article in the North American newspaper states that Trump’s actions in favor of Bolsonaro resulted in good results for Lula
The North American newspaper published this Monday (November 24, 2025) an opinion article that states that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, suffered an “defeat” when trying to influence the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), convicted of an attempted coup d’état in Brazil.
According to the text, Trump’s efforts to prevent Bolsonaro’s arrest were “useless” and ended up strengthening President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) politically in the diplomatic clash with Washington. The text titled “Brazil challenged Trump and won” It was signed by journalist Jack Nicas – former correspondent in Brazil and now head of the North American newspaper’s bureau in Mexico.
Bolsonaro’s preventive detention was ordered on Saturday (Nov 22) by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), following a request from the Federal Police (PF). The order came after an attempt was detected to violate the electronic ankle bracelet of Jair Bolsonaro, who was under house arrest. The First Panel of the STF unanimously confirmed the decision to keep Bolsonaro imprisoned in cell of the PF Superintendence, in Brasília.
On the same day as Bolsonaro’s arrest, Trump was briefed by journalists at the White House and said: “It’s a shame.” For the New York Timesthe laconic reaction demonstrates the defeat of the North American president and signals a distance from his former ally.
The newspaper recalls that, in July, Trump sent a letter “furious” to Lula with threats of tariffs and sanctions against STF ministers to influence Bolsonaro’s judgment. In the following months, according to the article, public praise for Lula prevailed and the resumption of dialogue between the 2 countries.
“After Bolsonaro’s conviction, US officials promised retaliation. But it never came. Instead, Trump began a relationship with Bolsonaro’s opponent, Lula”wrote Nicas, citing the meeting between the 2 presidents at the UN General Assembly, where Trump claimed to have had “great chemistry” with the Brazilian leader. A month later, they both got together again.
The journalist highlighted that tariffs on Brazilian products made meat and coffee more expensive in the USA when inflationary pressure was already growing during the Trump administration.
On Thursday (Nov 20, 2025), 2 days before Bolsonaro’s arrest, Trump revoked the 40% tariffs on several products imported from Brazil. According to Nicas, the outcome shows that Lula left “politically stronger” of the confrontation with Washington.
