As President Trump this week defended Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil who is set to stand trial on charges that he attempted a coup, he described the investigation of Mr. Bolsonaro as a “witch hunt” — a phrase the president has also used to portray himself as the victim of unjust prosecution.
Mr. Trump used the term several times this week to describe the case against Mr. Bolsonaro, including in a letter to Brazil’s current leader threatening to impose a 50 percent tariff on goods from the country. They were the latest examples of Mr. Trump invoking the phrase in the defense of right-wing and often populist politicians abroad, particularly those facing legal trouble.
Here is a look at four prominent international politicians Mr. Trump has called victims of “witch hunts” so far this year.
Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil
In a post on social media, Mr. Trump described Mr. Bolsonaro as a “strong leader” and compared the former president’s legal troubles to his own. “I’ll be watching the WITCH HUNT of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of his supporters, very closely,” he said.
Mr. Bolsonaro lost his bid for a second term in 2022 when he was defeated in a tight runoff election by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He was charged this year with overseeing a vast scheme to hold onto power, including one plot to annul the vote, disband the courts and empower the military, and another to assassinate Mr. Lula.
If convicted, Mr. Bolsonaro could face up to 40 years in prison. Mr. Bolsonaro, 70, has said the charges are a politically motivated attempt to silence the opposition. Mr. Trump on Wednesday pledged to impose 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports, partly in response to the trial. Mr. Lula said he would respond to the tariffs in kind.
Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel
Last month, Mr. Trump weighed in on the prosecution of Mr. Netanyahu, describing the case as “INSANITY” in a social media post and saying that prosecutors were out of control. “How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING,” he wrote, describing the case as a witch hunt.
Mr. Trump praised Mr. Netanyahu’s performance in office and said that the timing of the court case was egregious, particularly given that the United States and Israel had just bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities and the Israeli government was trying to reach a cease-fire agreement with Hamas in Gaza.
Mr. Netanyahu is accused in a yearslong corruption case of granting regulatory favors to businessmen in exchange for bribes and positive news coverage. He denies the charges.
Marine Le Pen, French far-right leader
Mr. Trump denounced the conviction of Ms. Le Pen by a court in Paris on charges of embezzlement. He called the verdict in April an example of European leftists waging “lawfare” to suppress free speech and muzzle a political opponent.
The court barred Ms. Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally party, from running for public office for five years, setting off a crisis for French democracy because she was considered the front-runner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in 2027. Ms. Le Pen has also used the term “witch hunt” to describe her conviction.
“FREE MARINE LE PEN,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media. Ms. Le Pen has been sentenced to four years in prison, including two suspended, but she has appealed the conviction, putting her sentence on hold.
Vladimir V. Putin, president of Russia
Although Mr. Trump’s relationship with Mr. Putin has shown signs of strain recently, he has often expressed admiration for the Russian leader’s strength and intelligence. In February, he said that Mr. Putin had been a victim of a “phony witch hunt” by investigators who examined Russian efforts to influence the 2024 election. He made the remark during a fiery meeting at the White House with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
But since then, Mr. Trump has stepped up his criticism of Mr. Putin, accusing him of being a duplicitous negotiator in talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. This week Mr. Trump said that Ukraine needed more weapons to defend itself.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg is a London-based reporter on the Live team at The Times, which covers breaking and developing news.
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