Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has hit back at Donald Trump’s tariff threats, saying that his American counterpart was elected as the leader of the United States and “not to be the emperor of the world.

Brazil’s judiciary has started sweeping crackdowns on speech and political rivals. A U.S. tariff response signals the crisis has gone international.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that his country will not take instructions from the United States after US President Donald Trump threatened Brazil with 50 percent tariffs and called for an end to the trial of right-wing ally Jair Bolsonaro.

Once called the planet’s most popular politician, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil faced long odds in next year’s election. President Trump’s tariffs are changing that.

President Donald Trump put Brazilian politics front-and-center Wednesday in a letter declaring a new 50% tariff on U.S. imports from the Latin American nation set to begin Aug. 1, citing mistreatment of longtime ally and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

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

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

Kevin Hassett, a top economic advisor to President Trump, was out defending the administration's threat of a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil. The U.S. has a trade surplus with Brazil, in contrast to