Washington responded by hitting Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and unspecified other allies with visa restrictions. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Moraes' court orders a "political witch hunt" that had prompted him to make immediate visa revocations for "Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members." The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has already tried to use pressure to help Bolsonaro by announcing a 50 percent tariff on goods from Latin America's No. 1 economy. Bolsonaro told Reuters that he believed the court orders were a reaction to Trump's criticism of his trial before the Supreme Court for trying to overturn the last election. The court's crackdown on Bolsonaro added to evidence that Trump's tactics are backfiring in Brazil, compounding trouble for his ideological ally and rallying public support behind a defiant leftist government. Bolsonaro was banned from contacting foreign officials, using social media or approaching embassies, according to the decision issued by Moraes, who cited a "concrete possibility" of him fleeing the country. His home was raided by federal police and he had an ankle monitor placed on him. (Reuters)