Analysis: Tarcísio’s attack on Moraes leaves STF ministers outraged, is seen as ‘out of institutional tone’ and could ‘blow up important bridges’

Supreme Court (STF) members believed that Tarcísio de Freitas’ political shift was part of a strategy. The governor of São Paulo was working in Brasília to reconcile with Jair Bolsonaro, with the prospect of succeeding the former president in the 2026 elections. However, during a speech on Avenida Paulista, São Paulo, Tarcísio echoed pastor Silas Malafaia by saying that ‘no one can bear the tyranny of a minister like Alexandre de Moraes.’ This statement left Court members shocked and indignant. A Supreme Court justice was surprised by Tarcísio’s behavior, noting that he was the ‘GOVERNOR OF SÃO PAULO’ in capital letters, and not previously associated with radical Bolsonarists like deputy Nikolas Ferreira and Pastor Silas Malafaia. Another justice pointed out that by deviating from institutional tones, the governor ‘fell into the temptation of settling a score’ to secure the former president’s support to be anointed as the leading candidate of the right in the 2026 elections.