Today, Brazilian election officials had the courage to do what congressional Republicans wouldn’t: bar a former president from office for attempting to steal a presidential election.

The Trump-inspired Jair Bolosanro attempted to stay in office after losing reelection last year, making baseless claims that the voting systems were rigged against him. These efforts to impugn the integrity of the electoral process ultimately culminated in a January 6–style attack on the Brazilian National Congress.

The only significant difference between Trump’s and Bolsonaro’s respective attempted auto-coups was the consequences for the men who instigated them. Bolsonaro is now barred from seeking public office until 2030. Trump, on the other hand, has been rewarded for his misdeeds, despite the fact that Republicans, the people Trump hurt most politically, had a chance to bar him from ever seeking the presidency again during his second Senate impeachment trial. Today, he is the top contender for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.

As I’ve said before, I am no fan of Bolsonaro’s successor, Luis Lula da Silva, a China-friendly leftist who also has similar authoritarian tendencies. But that doesn’t excuse Bolsonaro’s conduct in the same way Biden’s awfulness doesn’t give Trump carte blanche to get off scot-free. It’s sad when a hybrid democracy like Brazil bests us like this.