Bolsonaro, Trump, and democratic takeover attempts

America’s President and Brazil’s former leader—who is in intensive care—once were tied to failed coup attempts in their respective countries.

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro could go to jail for more than 40 years if he is found guilty of plotting to reverse his electoral defeat in 2022 by a military coup, writes Gwynne Dyer.Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

May 1, 2025

LONDON, U.K.—Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president and a Donald Trump clone, is facing trial for encouraging a plot that would have restored him to power after he lost the 2022 election, but it is unlikely that he will ever end up in court.

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