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

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday that he will impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if President Donald Trump follows through on a pledge to boost import taxes by 50% over the South American country’s criminal trial against his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

President Donald Trump is threatening to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports — a move that could spike prices of breakfast staples like coffee and orange juice.

The fight is rooted in years of political history between President Trump and the last two presidents of Brazil.

Both Trump and Bolsonaro are right-wing populists who lost re-election bids and faced criminal charges after leaving office. Both presidents experienced similar post-election unrest with supporters attacking government buildings.

President Trump is seeking to intervene in a political fight roiling Brazil, demanding the country drop its prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro or face a 50 percent tariff on imports to

President Trump's announcement that the U.S. will stick a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods whacked some of the country's

President Donald Trump sent out tariff letters to seven smaller U.S. trading partners on Wednesday with a pledge to announce import taxes on other countries later in the day. None of the countries targeted in the first batch of letters — the Philippines,