U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat against Brazil has sparked political turmoil. Trump linked a 50% import tax to the trial of his ally, Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro, calling it a “witch hunt.

Approval for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government rose for the first time this year, a new poll showed on Wednesday, after his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil starting in August.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday slammed Donald Trump's threat to impose 50 percent tariffs on Latin America's largest economy as "unacceptable blackmail."In his speech, leftist leader Lula slammed Brazilian politicians who back Trump's policies as "traitors to the homeland.