The media company of American President Donald Trump sued a Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Wednesday (19), accusing him of illegally censoring right-wing voices on social media.
The unusual action became even more extraordinary due to the timing: just hours earlier, Brazilian justice had received an accusation of an alleged coup attempt by Bolsonaro and his allies.
Trump Media & Technology Group — which is predominantly owned by Trump and manages the social network created by the president, Truth Social — sued Judge Alexandre de Moraes in federal court in Tampa, Florida. The action is brought by Rumble, a video platform that, like Truth Social, presents itself as a home for free speech.
The two companies accuse Moraes of violating the First Amendment of the American Constitution, which deals with freedom of speech, by ordering Rumble to remove accounts of some Brazilian right-wing commentators based in American territory, such as former Jovem Pan columnist Paulo Figueiredo.
In the lawsuit, Trump’s company claims that “since 2022, Minister Moraes has ordered the suspension of nearly 150 accounts, targeting critics of current President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva, including conservative lawmakers, journalists, legal experts, and even musicians.”
The action requests that American justice provide safeguards to both companies against possible decisions by Minister Moraes. The lawyers ask that orders for the removal of accounts of Brazilians based in the U.S. be declared “unenforceable” by the Florida court and that the U.S. judiciary “prohibit Minister Moraes from compelling any third party — such as Apple, Google, and all individuals or entities grouped 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 perspectives and mutual political support. However, since the new accusation, 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 allow him to go.
Sources: The New York Times and BBC