Donald Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil over its domestic political affairs, the most extreme case yet of the US president weaponizing trade policy to make unrelated demands.Trump cited the treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro — a right-wing populist leader — in his letter to Brazil on Wednesday,

Relations between the U.S. and Brazil deteriorated after President Trump sought to halt criminal proceedings against his right-wing ally in the country, former leader Jair Bolsonaro, by imposing steep tariffs on Latin America’s biggest nation.

The exchange with the South American nation suggests the U.S. president also sees trade as a tool to influence other policies of foreign countries.

President Trump is hosting 5 African leaders in Washington this week — a mini summit that's raising eyebrows over who was invited, what's on the table, and what it signals about U.S. rivalry with China and BRICS in Africa.

Former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is on trial for creating a movement to overturn election results, and President Donald Trump is speaking in his defense.Video from 2023 above: Pro-Bolsonaro supporters breach security barriers and break into Brazil's Congress,