One of the highest tariffs threatened by President Trump so far is against Brazil, with the president citing a criminal prosecution against Jair Bolsonaro.

President Donald Trump is singling out Brazil for import taxes of 50%, citing its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned on Wednesday that his government is prepared to retaliate after President Trump announced plans to impose 50 percent tariffs on goods imported

"I’ll be watching the WITCH HUNT of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of his supporters, very closely," Trump stated. "The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil — It’s called an Election." The one area where Trump and Bolsonaro differ is in their pre-politics past.

President Donald Trump singled out Brazil for import taxes of 50% on Wednesday for its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, showing that personal grudges rather than simple economics are a driving force in the U.

Lula issued a rebuke to Trump’s trade tariffs and firmly refused his demand that the case against the Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro be dropped.

Brazil believes it can withstand Trump’s 50 percent tariff, and aides to Lula say he is unlikely to shrink from a confrontation with the White House.

The president signaled he would seek to use the threat of steep levies to reorient trade and protect his political allies.