SAO PAULO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday criticized Brazilian authorities over what he called “a witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro and said he will be “closely monitoring” his trial.
The South American far-right leader, who governed between 2019 and 2022, is standing trial before the country's Supreme Court for his role in an alleged coup attempt in January 2023. He is already ineligible for next year’s vote. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and said he is the target of political persecution.
In his first such comment since Bolsonaro's trial began, Trump said in a social media post that Brazil “is doing a terrible thing in their treatment” of his ally. He added that Bolsonaro “is not guilty of anything, except for having fought for the people," and compared the Brazilian's situation to his own.
“This happened to me, times 10,” the U.S. president said. “I will be closely monitoring the witch hunt of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of his supporters. Leave Bolsonaro alone!"
Bolsonaro responded by saying on social media that Trump’s “fight for peace, justice and liberty echoes worldwide," and he thanked the U.S. leader for “giving us a role model for faith and resilience.”
Bolsonaro has been declared ineligible to run for office until 2030 by Brazil’s electoral court for abuse of power during the 2022 election, when he narrowly lost to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro's son Eduardo relocated to the U.S. in March, and has said he would work to push for sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading several investigations into his father’s actions.
In May, Moraes ordered the opening of an investigation into Eduardo Bolsonaro following a request from the Prosecutor General's Office, citing the possible crimes of obstruction of investigation and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law in his push for sanctions.
Brazil’s Supreme Court didn't comment on Trump’s message.
Lula said in a statement, which didn't mention Trump by name, that “the defense of democracy in Brazil is a topic for Brazilians. We are a sovereign nation.”
Brazil’s president added: “We have solid and independent institutions. No one is above the law. Even more so those who attack freedom and the rule of law.”
Later, speaking on the sidelines of a summit of BRICS emerging economies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's president said that he had “more important things to comment" on than Trump's post on Bolsonaro.
“Go take care of your own life, not ours,” Lula said.
Brazil's leader also criticized Trump after the U.S. president said that any country that aligns itself with what he termed “the Anti-American policies of BRICS” would be levied an added 10% tariff.
On Sunday, members of the BRICS bloc condemned the increase of tariffs, without citing Trump in their final declaration.
“I think it’s very wrong and very irresponsible for a president to threaten others on digital networks,” Lula said. “We don't want an emperor.”
Former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during a protest against his Supreme Court trial, in which he is accused of involvement in a 2022 coup attempt, in Sao Paulo, Sunday, June, 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)
BERLIN (AP) — Erich von Däniken, the Swiss author whose bestselling books about the extraterrestrial origins of ancient civilizations brought him fame among paranormal enthusiasts and scorn from the scientific community, has died. He was 90.
Von Däniken's representatives announced on his website on Sunday that he had died the previous day in a hospital in central Switzerland.
Von Däniken rose to prominence in 1968 with the publication of his first book "Chariots of the Gods," in which he claimed that the Mayans and ancient Egyptians were visited by alien astronauts and instructed in advanced technology that allowed them to build giant pyramids.
The book fueled a growing interest in unexplained phenomena at a time when thanks to conventional science man was about to take its first steps on the Moon.
"Chariots of the Gods" was followed by more than two dozen similar books, spawning a literary niche in which fact and fantasy were mixed together against all historical and scientific evidence.
Public broadcaster SRF reported that altogether almost 70 million copies of his books were sold in more than 30 languages, making him one of the most widely read Swiss authors.
While von Däniken managed to shrug off his many critics, the former hotel waiter had a troubled relationship with money throughout his life and frequently came close to financial ruin.
Born in 1935, the son of a clothing manufacturer in the northern Swiss town of Schaffhausen, von Däniken is said to have rebelled against his father's strict Catholicism and the priests who instructed him at boarding school by developing his own alternatives to the biblical account of the origins of life.
After leaving school in 1954, von Däniken worked as a waiter and barkeeper for several years, during which he was repeatedly accused of fraud and served a couple of short stints in prison.
In 1964, he was appointed manager of a hotel in the exclusive resort town of Davos and began writing his first book. Its publication and rapid commercial success were quickly followed by accusations of tax dodging and financial impropriety, for which he again spent time behind bars.
By the time he left prison, "Chariots of the Gods" was earning von Däniken a fortune and a second book "Gods from Outer Space" was ready for publication, allowing him to commit himself to his paranormal passion and travel the world in search of new mysteries to uncover.
Throughout the 1970s von Däniken undertook countless field trips to Egypt, India, and above all Latin America, whose ancient cultures held a particular fascination for the amateur archaeologist.
He lectured widely and set up societies devoted to promoting his theories, later pioneering the use of video and multimedia to reach out to ever-larger audiences hungry for a different account of history.
No amount of criticism dissuaded him and his fans from believing that Earth has been visited repeatedly by beings from Outer Space, and will be again in the future.
In 1991 von Däniken gained the damning accolade of being the first recipient of the "Ig Nobel" prize for literature — for raising the public awareness of science through questionable experiments or claims.
Even when confronted with fabricated evidence in a British television documentary — supposedly ancient pots were shown to be almost new — von Däniken insisted that, minor discrepancies aside, his theories were essentially sound.
In 1985 von Däniken wrote "Neue Erinnerungen an die Zukunft" — "New Memories of the Future" — ostensibly to address his many critics: "I have admitted (my mistakes), but not one of the foundations of my theories has yet been brought down."
Although his popularity was waning in the English-speaking world by the 1980s, von Däniken's books and films influenced a wave of semi-serious archaeological documentaries and numerous popular television shows, including "The X-Files," which featured two FBI agents tasked with solving paranormal mysteries.
His last major venture, a theme park based on his books, failed after just a few years due to lack of interest. The "Mystery Park" still stands, its man-made pyramids and otherworldly domes rotting as tourists prefer to explore the charms of the nearby town of Interlaken and the imposing Swiss Alps that surround it.
Erich von Däniken is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elisabeth Skaja, Cornelia and two grandchildren.
FILE - Erich von Daeniken, co-founder and co-owner of Mystery Park, poses in front of the Panorama Tower at Mystery Park in Interlaken, Wednesday, April 23, 2003. (Gaetan Ball)/Keystone via AP, File)
