Jair Bolsonaro, Lula’s arch-nemesis whose legal woes were the basis of Trump’s 50% tariff salvo, is barred from running against a rival who staged the kind of comeback he aspires to now.

President Donald Trump sent out tariff letters to six smaller U.S. trading partners on Wednesday with a pledge to announce import taxes on other countries later in the day.

The US is Brazil's second-largest trade partner after China, so the hike from a tariff rate of 10% to an eye-watering 50% - if it comes into force - would hit the South American nation hard.