Brazil's Supreme Court ordered the house arrest Monday of former President Jair Bolsonaro, angering President Donald Trump, who considers Bolsonaro an ally.

Bolsonaro is accused of plotting a coup attempt in 2022 after an election loss that he and his allies considered fraudulent.

The head of the nation's high court, Alexandre de Moraes, said the order came about because Bolsonaro violated orders not to spread information about his case by having his three sons, who are lawmakers, share information.

The former president's attorneys said he will appeal the order.

"For our freedom"

At issue is Bolsonaro's greeting to a crowd of protesters on Sunday, broadcast through his son's cell phone.

“Good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom,” Bolsonaro said to those gathered.

Trump previously placed a 50% tariff on goods imported from Brazil as a signal that he did not approve of the government's treatment of Bolsonaro.

Obviously, Trump feels for the former leader, who he believes is being targeted in a similar way to how Trump was targeted after losing the 2020 U.S. election.

Of course, Bolsonaro is facing even harsher treatment than Trump did, but the parallels are clear: both questioned the election results and seemingly tried to figure out whether they could stay in power somehow, both faced criminal charges for doing so.

"Let Bolsonaro speak!"

After the decision on Monday, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on X that the Trump administration “condemns (de) Moraes’ order imposing house arrest on Bolsonaro and will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct.”

“Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!” the bureau said.

Unlike Trump, however, Bolsonaro is accused of having ties to a criminal organization and plotting to kill current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and de Moraes.

Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court on January 8, 2023 to demand a military removal of de Silva, causing even greater destruction than the protesters did on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol building.

He should be allowed to speak and defend himself, no matter what he is accused of doing. Clearly, Brazil's government is even more afraid of his influence than Democrats were of Trump's.

His son Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator, claimed on X that Brazil “is officially in a dictatorship” after his father’s house arrest. “The persecution of de Moraes against Bolsonaro has no limits!” he wrote.