Inside ex-Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's fight to stay out of prison

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

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🗓️ 14 July 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

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Summary

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is in a moment of reckoning.

In January 2023, after his election loss, thousands of his supporters attacked the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress as they protested an electoral defeat that Bolsonaro had baselessly attributed to electoral fraud. Now Bolsonaro is awaiting a criminal trial before the country’s Supreme Court for allegedly plotting to kill his rivals and stay in power. Bolsonaro is barred from running for office until 2030, and he could very well go to prison for decades.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on Bolsonaro’s situation. He called the trial a “WITCH HUNT” on social media and in a letter to Brazilian leaders when announcing a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods.

Reporters Terrence McCoy and Marina Dias, who are based in Brazil, got a rare window into Bolsonaro’s thinking and his desire for a Trump intervention during a visit to his office this past spring. Today on the podcast, host Elahe Izadi sits down with McCoy and Dias, to learn what their visit revealed about Bolsonaro, about Latin America’s largest democracy and about the United States.

Today’s episode was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just a few years ago, a national political leader lost a very close election.
0:08.2	A violent insurrection followed on an early January day.
0:11.9	There were questions about this leader's alleged involvement.
0:15.7	A high-stakes legal drama followed.
0:18.4	I am not talking about the United States, or January 6, 2021. I'm not talking about the United States, or January 6, 2021, or Donald Trump.
0:26.4	I'm talking about Brazil, Latin America's largest democracy, what happened there in January
0:32.8	2023 and the actions of its former president.
0:39.7	Jaire Bolsonaro is, I think, without doubt, the most divisive politician that Brazil has seen since it became a democracy again in 1985.
0:53.8	Bolsonaro is the kind of politician who finds power being around people, being around supporters.
1:01.0	This is Terry McCoy and Marina Diaz.
1:04.1	They're reporters for The Post in Brazil, and they've covered Bolsonaro for years.
1:09.7	Bolsonaro is a former military officer.
1:12.6	He rose to popularity on a wave of populist rhetoric and machismo.
1:17.8	He was elected Brazil's president in 2018.
1:24.3	But then he lost re-election in 2022 to Luis Inasio Lula de Silva.
1:32.5	Now Bolsonaro is bracing for one of the most pivotal moments in his life and for democracy in Latin America.
1:40.9	Former President Jaya Bolsonaro will be standing trial for attempting a coup following the last election.
1:47.0	He's under trial on the charges of staging a coup.
1:50.0	The former president is accused of plotting a coup to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to Louisiana Sula da Sjouva.
1:59.0	Bolsonaro is facing allegations that he plotted to assassinate his rivals and stay in power.
2:05.6	Bolsonaro has denied the accusations.
2:08.6	He's expected to stand trial in Brazil's Supreme Court this fall.
	...

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