• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026

1

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
PoliticsDonald Trump

Trump Media sues a Brazilian judge who clashed with MAGA ally Jair Bolsonaro hours after ex-president was indicted for an alleged coup and assassination attempt

Paolo Confino
By
Paolo Confino
Paolo Confino
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Paolo Confino
By
Paolo Confino
Paolo Confino
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 19, 2025, 11:49 AM ET
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro sits next to President Donald Trump at a table
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (left) and President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., in March 2020.Eva Marie Uzcategui—Bloomberg
  • Trump Media and the right-wing video platform Rumble jointly sued Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes, alleging his previous order to remove certain accounts did not apply to them, because they are American companies. 

The Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) is suing the Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is set to hear a criminal case for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. 

Recommended Video

Moraes is already embroiled in a series of legal proceedings involving right-wing allies of President Donald Trump, who is also the majority shareholder of TMTG. 

Just hours before the suit was filed, Moraes received an indictment for Bolsonaro, who was charged with plotting a coup to overthrow the government after his 2022 election loss. Last year, Moraes clashed with Elon Musk, a major Trump campaign donor and current advisor, when he blocked the social media company X from operating in Brazil because it had not named a legal representative in the country.  

Last month, when Bolsonaro was under investigation but not yet indicted, he pleaded with Trump to intervene in his legal problems, according to a New York Times interview. Now it appears Trump has answered that call, albeit in a circuitous way. 

In Wednesday’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Florida, TMTG is joined by Rumble, an online video platform that mostly caters to right-wing and conservative users. The suit alleges Moraes is infringing on the free speech of U.S. users by requiring that Rumble ban the accounts of prominent Bolsonaro supporters. Those users do not have accounts on TMTG’s Truth Social platform. However, TMTG does use Rumble’s cloud-based hosting to deliver video content on its platforms. TMTG’s filing argued that if Rumble’s business were hurt by Moraes’s gag order, it could adversely affect TMTG as well. 

TMTG and Rumble claim that they should not have to comply with Moraes’s order, because they have no business in Brazil and his jurisdiction does not extend to the U.S. 

“Allowing Justice Moraes to muzzle a vocal user on an American digital outlet would jeopardize our country’s bedrock commitment to open and robust debate,” the lawsuit reads. “Neither extraterritorial dictates nor judicial overreach from abroad can override the freedoms protected by the U.S. Constitution and law.”

The lawsuit embodies much of the unprecedented nature of current American and global politics. A company whose majority shareholder is the sitting president of the United States is suing a foreign judge who is considering whether to arrest a key political figure in the worldwide right-wing movement. 

TMTG denied the connection in a statement to Fortune, calling it a “ridiculous theory” that was “copied” from the New York Times.

“The only people who’d draw a connection between Bolsonaro and our attempt to quash gag orders on a Rumble user are conspiracy theorists and mindless legacy media hacks,” TMTG said.

Moraes in the past has claimed that it is necessary to ban Bolsonaro’s supporters from disseminating their content online because they promote antidemocratic messages that would harm the public. On Tuesday the Brazilian attorney general charged Bolsonaro with being part of a sweeping coup attempt after he lost his bid for reelection in 2022. The vast plot Bolsonaro was allegedly a part of included canceling votes, strengthening military rule, and doing away with parts of the judicial system. Most shockingly the indictment also alleges that Bolsonaro knew of, and perhaps was involved in, a plan to kill his political opponents. The indictment alleges Bolsonaro was part of schemes to poison the election’s eventual winner, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and another to shoot Moraes. (In an interview with the New York Times Bolsonaro denied any involvement with the plots against da Silva and Moraes.) 

Rumble and Moraes did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter will deliver clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
Paolo Confino
By Paolo ConfinoReporter

Paolo Confino is a former reporter on Fortune’s global news desk where he covers each day’s most important stories.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

olivier
CommentaryAnthropic
I’ve been studying Big Tech for a long time. What just happened with Anthropic and the Pentagon terrifies me
By Olivier SylvainMay 16, 2026
1 hour ago
greg
Personal FinanceAviation
Mamdani’s New York is coming to tax your private jet. Here’s how to prepare
By Greg RaiffMay 16, 2026
4 hours ago
new mexico
North AmericaNew Mexico
New Mexico is raking in oil profits from Iran War, gaining $59 million for every $1 added to the price of a barrel
By Morgan Lee and The Associated PressMay 15, 2026
23 hours ago
boeing
LawBoeing 737 Max
Jury awards $49.5 million to family of 24-year-old who died in Boeing 737 Max crash in 2019
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 15, 2026
23 hours ago
ratcliffe
PoliticsCuba
CIA director traveled to Cuba and met with Raul Castro’s grandson, officials confirm
By Andrea Rodriguez, Eric Tucker and The Associated PressMay 15, 2026
23 hours ago
leo
EuropeReligion
Pope Leo warns of ‘spiral of annihilation’ as AI warfare leads to symphony of destruction
By Nicole Winfield, Paolo Santalucia and The Associated PressMay 15, 2026
23 hours ago

Most Popular

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
Success
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
By Preston ForeMay 13, 2026
3 days ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 15, 2026
1 day ago
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
Travel & Leisure
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
By Catherina GioinoMay 12, 2026
4 days ago
The airplane fuel shortage is a myth propagated by airlines who want to cancel unprofitable flights, says private jet CEO
Energy
The airplane fuel shortage is a myth propagated by airlines who want to cancel unprofitable flights, says private jet CEO
By Jim EdwardsMay 14, 2026
2 days ago
Top economist says $39 trillion national debt leaves government worse prepared for recession than ever
Economy
Top economist says $39 trillion national debt leaves government worse prepared for recession than ever
By Eva RoytburgMay 14, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.