Trump Steps Up Pressure on Brazil in Letter to Bolsonaro (1)

Donald Trump ratcheted up pressure on Brazil to drop criminal charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro, saying he would be “watching closely” for a response just a week after threatening to impose punishing tariffs on the South American nation.

In an open letter addressed to Bolsonaro on Thursday, Trump described the right-wing populist leader as the victim of “terrible treatment” and again demanding that the trial over his alleged role in a failed coup attempt to overturn the 2022 election “should end immediately!”

Trump said he was “very concerned about the attacks on free speech — both in Brazil ...