Dear Mr. Donald Trump,

I write regarding your recent statements in defense of Jair Bolsonaro, currently under investigation for severe accusations including: attempted coup d’état, conspiracy to subvert democracy, efforts to overturn election results, illegal surveillance of political opponents, creation of a state-sponsored disinformation machine, and alleged involvement in assassination plots against public figures (including Lula, Geraldo Alckmin, Alexandre de Moraes, and José Dirceu).

As someone who also faces legal proceedings in the U.S. for post-election actions, your words echo a disturbing familiarity. You yourself led a movement culminating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, an event that:

Shared Goal: Both sought to invalidate democratic election results.

Methods: Mobilization of supporters, inflammatory rhetoric, and denial of factual reality.

Outcome: Violence against democratic institutions.

In Brazil, on January 8, 2023, we witnessed a dark mirror: the invasion of the Three Branches of Government by Bolsonaro’s supporters, incited by baseless electoral fraud theories. If on 1/6 you challenged peaceful transition in the U.S., on 1/8 Bolsonaro reaped what the same rhetoric sowed in Brazil.

The Unavoidable Question: By defending an ally accused of plotting assassinations, spying on citizens, and undermining democracy, would you extend this solidarity to:

Pablo Escobar (Colombia), arguing his narco-terrorism was "political struggle"?

Osama Bin Laden (Afghanistan), claiming his acts were "resistance"?

Thomas Matthew Crooks (who attempted to assassinate you on 7/13/2024), under the pretext that "his motives were understandable"?

This is not rhetorical but an invitation to consistency. If we condemn violence and conspiracies when committed by enemies, how can we justify them when they come from allies? Defending Bolsonaro under the cloak of "political persecution" normalizes crimes that would destroy any democracy if perpetrated by those we reject.

History will judge not only Bolsonaro’s actions but also those who, faced with overwhelming evidence, chose silence or complicity. Democracy survives when leaders respect its rules — not when they distort them to protect their own.

Sincerely,
Bernardo Cahuê
Just a Citizen Committed to the Rule of Law■