Critics say the tariff on Brazil could further erode the Trump administration's credibility as it pursues an aggressive trade agenda.

Economists have been expressing alarm over U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to hit Brazil with a 50% tariff on Aug. 1 — the largest country-specific levy out of the 22 that Trump has rolled out this week.

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

Is Donald Trump willing to punish consumers because he hopes to shield Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro from legal accountability? Actually, yes.

By Luciana Magalhaes and Ricardo Brito BRASILIA (Reuters) -When U.S. President Donald Trump linked 50% tariffs on Brazil to the trial against his ally, the country's former far-right leader, Washington left Latin America's largest economy with few options to deescalate but may have overestimated the country's vulnerability to the levies.

Sao Paulo-traded shares of Embraer tumbled as much as 8% on the news, before paring some losses to trade down 5%. Embraer was the biggest decliner on Brazil's Bovespa benchmark stock index, which slipped 0.7%.

President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff to punish Brazil. Federal workers fear Trump will fire them following a Supreme Court ruling. Trump and other top Republicans are shifting course on Ukraine.