Donald Trump has vowed to impose tariffs on Brazil and sanction the judge trying former president Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged coup attempt.

The US President has vowed to slap the South American nation with 50 per cent tariffs from Friday unless they call off what he called the "witch hunt" of Bolsonaro.

The US imposed a range of financial sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre De Moraes under the Magnitsky Act, which is reserved for serious human rights abusers.

Under these sections, any assets that De Moraes holds in the US will be frozen and US institutions and citizens will not be permitted to do business with him.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "The United States is sanctioning Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for serious human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention involving flagrant denials of fair trial guarantees and infringing on the freedom of expression."

Bolsonaro, the veteran army captain who served as Brazil's president between 2019 and 2023, will face decades in prison if found guilty of plotting a coup in the aftermath of his election defeat to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula, the leader of Brazil's far-left Workers' Party, hit back at Trump's announcement, labelling it "unacceptable blackmail" and accusing the US of "attempting to interfere in Brazilian justice".

It is a "grave attack on national sovereignty", Lula fumed.

Brazil's Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, took to social media to call the decision to sanction De Moraes as "a violent and arrogant act" and also accused the US of interfering with Brazil's justice system.

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It is not the first time that the Trump administration has clashed with the Brazilian courts in recent weeks.

Rubio imposed visa bans for eight judges on Brazil's Supreme Court for their part in Bolsonaro's trial and for action taken against US social media firms.

Brazil has moved to force tech firms to remove content on their platforms which they deem anti-democratic or "hate speech".

In 2024, De Moraes blocked access to Elon Musk's X platform after it refused to ban accounts that the court deemed to be spreading "misinformation" during Brazil's 2022 presidential election.

The ban was lifted after X forked out $5.1 million (£3.8 million) in fines and agreed to appoint a local representative for the social media site.

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Trump meeting with Bolsonaro in March 2020

Trump accused the Brazilian Supreme Court of “secret and unlawful censorship orders to US social media platforms”.

Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo, moved to the US earlier this year to put pressure on the Trump administration to impose sanctions on his homeland in response to his father's treatment.

Bolsonaro has expressed his desire to travel to the US to help his son lobby for sanctions should he receive his passport back after it was taken when he was deemed a flight risk.

De Moraes imposed several restrictions on the former President earlier this month, including a ban on giving interviews and a requirement to wear an ankle monitor.

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Socialist Lula warned Trump that the high tariffs could create a 'lose-lose' situations for both countries

Lula warned Trump, who he recently labelled an "emperor", the high tariffs could cause a "lose-lose" situation for both countries.

On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Brazil is doing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

"He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE," Trump added.

Bolsonaro is expected to hear his verdict from the Supreme Court in August or September.