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.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has neither the political will nor the legal authority to interfere in the case against his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who faces charges of plotting a coup in the aftermath of a fierce and bitter 2022 election that Lula won.
Brazil is in a stronger position than many developing nations given the country's relatively lower trade exposure to the U.S., even if high tariffs would still be painful.
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