Trump Backs Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Who Alleges Fraud and Faces Riot Probe, Raising Questions for South Korea’s Yoon

Washington D.C. 2025.7.11

By Alfred J Kim

President Donald Trump recently announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil, denouncing the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on insurrection-related charges as a “political witch hunt.” He called for an immediate end to what he described as persecution against Bolsonaro.

On the 9th, President Trump sent a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, saying, “The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This Trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!

This message was publicly shared through President Trump’s Truth Social account. In an interview discussing the letter, Trump said, “Bolsonaro is an honest man. I know how to tell an honest person from one who isn't,” showing strong personal trust in Bolsonaro.

Trump is going out of his way to support Bolsonaro so actively—so why isn’t he offering the same help to President Yoon?

Who is Jair Bolsonaro?

Jair Bolsonaro is arguably the most prominent figure in modern Brazilian politics. He opened a new chapter for Brazil’s political right. Born in 1955 in Campinas, São Paulo, he graduated from a military academy and served as an army captain, building an image as a tough, disciplined soldier. Entering politics in 1988 as a Rio de Janeiro city councilman, he served from 1991 to 2018 in the federal Chamber of Deputies for 28 years, establishing himself as an icon of hardline conservatism.

In 2018, he ran for president under the Social Liberal Party (PSL) on an anti-corruption, pro-market platform and won with 55% of the vote. His term (2019–2022) reshaped Brazil’s political landscape.

Bolsonaro rose to power attacking Brazil’s corrupt political elite and projecting himself as an “outsider” unafraid to speak directly to the public, especially using social media to connect with younger voters.

His agenda prioritized economic liberalization, loosening gun control, promoting Amazon development, and defending traditional family values. While his aggressive push to open the Amazon rainforests to agriculture and mining earned fierce criticism from environmentalists, it won him crucial support from agribusiness and mining interests.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bolsonaro opposed mask mandates and vaccination requirements, championing individual freedom. He publicly voiced concerns about vaccine side effects, casting himself as a defender of personal choice. Much like Trump, he positioned himself against globalist elites and pharmaceutical interests, gaining the loyalty of many working- and middle-class Brazilians who saw him as uncorrupted by the establishment.

He rallied strong support from conservative Christians and the military by denouncing leftist parties, especially the Workers’ Party (PT). For Brazil’s right, Bolsonaro became not just a politician but a political “messiah” or “the Trump of South America,” viewed as a hero who challenged the entrenched dominance of the left. His blunt style and anti-elite messaging galvanized Brazil’s angry middle class and working poor, explaining why he continues to command such a devoted following.

Claims of Election Fraud and Riot-Related Prosecution

Bolsonaro’s current legal troubles stem from his rejection of the 2022 election results and his claims of voter fraud. He lost the October 2022 presidential runoff to Lula da Silva by a narrow margin of 50.9% to 49.1%. Bolsonaro refused to concede, attacking the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system and alleging widespread fraud. His supporters took up the cause, staging massive protests that escalated on January 8, 2023, when they stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace in Brasília. Critics labeled the event as an attempted coup or “Brazil’s January 6th.”

Federal prosecutors charged Bolsonaro with inciting or enabling the attack. His trial centers on accusations that he undermined public trust in the election by repeatedly questioning the integrity of electronic voting, hinting at military intervention, and encouraging his supporters to reject the results. These allegations form the basis of ongoing legal proceedings against him.

Trump’s announcement of 50% tariffs on Brazil and his demand to halt Bolsonaro’s prosecution go beyond a simple trade policy—they’re a clear expression of solidarity within a transnational right-wing alliance. While Trump cited trade imbalances, the move is widely interpreted as retaliation against Lula’s anti-Trump orientation. Lula’s 2023 agreement with China for a 20-year strategic economic partnership, along with his deepening ties to the BRICS bloc, is seen as a challenge to the US-led order and directly at odds with Trump’s America First agenda. Supporting Bolsonaro allows Trump to bolster a like-minded ally who embodies his own brand of anti-leftist, nationalist politics, consolidating a global conservative front.

Will President Trump Also Support President Yoon?

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and Brazil’s Bolsonaro share notable similarities as right-wing leaders. Both have confronted claims of electoral fraud and faced legal and political battles. Yoon won South Korea’s 2022 presidential election but after losing the 2024 legislative elections, faced a National Assembly dominated by the Democratic Party that launched a sweeping impeachment campaign, paralyzing his administration.

In response, Yoon declared martial law—a move that immediately invited comparisons to Bolsonaro’s alleged coup plotting. Both men now face “insurrection” charges in their respective courts. Both also rose to power by rallying conservative bases around anti-leftist messaging and promising to root out a corrupt political class. Bolsonaro built his base on military and evangelical support, while Yoon, a former prosecutor, branded himself as a champion of law, order, and anti-corruption. These different personal styles notwithstanding, both presented themselves as the final conservative alternative after years of leftist rule.

Yet Trump’s support for the two men has diverged dramatically. While Trump has forcefully defended Bolsonaro, he has shown no comparable enthusiasm for backing Yoon. Several factors may explain this.

First, during Yoon’s presidency, South Korea’s policies did not fully align with Trump’s signature themes. Yoon’s administration backed Ukraine in the war against Russia—a stance clashing with the strong anti-interventionist mood in Trump’s base.

Second, Yoon retained many key Moon Jae-in administration officials in health and other sectors, feeding suspicions among Trump allies that Yoon’s government was effectively “Moon 2.0.” Notably, Yoon did not pursue investigations against Moon or his former aides, leaving questions about continuity and loyalty unanswered.

Third, Yoon was slow to engage seriously with Trump’s campaign during the 2024 US election. According to presidential office sources, Trump aides sought a meeting, but Yoon’s team declined, either underestimating Trump’s chances of winning or receiving negative briefings about him.

For a leader who prizes loyalty and shared ideology, this would have made Trump cautious about offering full-throated support. Unlike Bolsonaro, who has maintained an unbroken alliance with Trump built on shared grievances and political style, Yoon has kept Trump at arm’s length and at times adopted policies more palatable to centrist or globalist audiences.

COVID Vaccine Side Effects and Election Fraud

The issue of COVID vaccine side effects has been politically charged for both Bolsonaro and Yoon. Trump’s administration, particularly under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has aggressively highlighted vaccine injury claims, pushing congressional hearings and eventually rolling back mandatory vaccination requirements in May 2025. Trump has framed the entire pandemic response as not only a public health disaster but a vehicle for Chinese influence and election manipulation worldwide. In his view, how world leaders handle these issues defines whether they are allies or opponents in the global anti-globalist, anti-China struggle.

While Yoon initially promised to support victims of vaccine side effects, in office he failed to deliver meaningful investigations or compensation. Critics also point out that he retained health officials who had designed Moon’s pandemic strategy. In this sense, vaccine side effects became not just a health issue but a test of political independence and commitment to transparency.

Trump’s strong backing of Bolsonaro demonstrates the values this emerging transnational conservative network prioritizes. It reflects not only ideological alignment but personal trust and shared strategy. Yoon has achieved much as South Korea’s conservative leader but has made choices that left him out of Trump’s inner circle. Failing to fully align on issues like vaccine transparency, election integrity, and personnel appointments may have constrained his ability to become Trump’s clear ally on the world stage.