The media company of U.S. President Donald Trump sued a Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Wednesday (19), accusing him of illegally censoring right-wing voices on social media.
The lawsuit, which is unusual, became even more extraordinary given the timing: just hours earlier, Brazilian courts had received an accusation of a supposed attempt at a coup by Bolsonaro and his allies.
Trump Media & Technology Group — which is mostly owned by Trump and operates the social network created by the president, Truth Social — sued Judge Alexandre de Moraes in a U.S. federal court in Tampa, Florida. The lawsuit was filed by Rumble, a video platform that, like Truth Social, presents itself as a home for freedom of expression.
Both companies accuse Moraes of violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which deals with freedom of speech, by ordering Rumble to remove the accounts of some Brazilian right-wing commentators based in the U.S.
In the lawsuit, Trump’s company notes that “since 2022, Minister Moraes has ordered the suspension of nearly 150 accounts, targeting critics of the current president Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva, including conservative lawmakers, journalists, jurists, and even musicians.”
The lawsuit asks the U.S. courts to provide safeguards to both companies against possible decisions by Minister Moraes. The lawyers request that orders for the removal of accounts of Brazilians based in the U.S. be “declared unenforceable” by the Florida court and that U.S. judiciary “prohibit Minister Moraes from forcing any third party — like Apple, Google, and all individuals or entities under his direction — to remove or delete the Rumble app or any apps from their respective stores.”
Trump and Bolsonaro are allies, with numerous public and mutual political support. Since the new accusation, however, Trump has not publicly commented on the situation of his Brazilian ally. Bolsonaro attempted to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., last month, but the Brazilian Supreme Court, which holds the former president’s passport, did not authorize his trip.
Sources: The New York Times and BBC.