Economists have been expressing alarm over U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to hit Brazil with a 50% tariff on Aug. 1 — the largest country-specific levy out of the 22 that Trump has rolled out this week.

The president signaled he would seek to use the threat of steep levies to reorient trade and protect his political allies.

One of the highest tariffs threatened by President Trump so far is against Brazil, with the president citing a criminal prosecution against Jair Bolsonaro.

In geopolitics, fortune favors the patient opportunist. Tariffs designed to isolate one partner often bind that partner more tightly to another.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday levied a 50% tariff against Brazil, which produces more than a third of the world's coffee, citing, in part, the country's treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro,

Shares of Brazilian planemaker Embraer fell sharply on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 50% tariff on all imports from the South American country.

President Trump is threatening Brazil with a 50% tariff, citing a "witch hunt" against the country's ex-President Jair Bolsonaro. NBC News Business and Data Correspondent Brian Cheung reports more. CNBC Senior Analyst and Commentator Ron Insana joins Chris Jansing to break down the economic impact on Americans.

Donald Trump said he plans to impose a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil. Questions about the future of FEMA loom amid the Texas floods. And "Superman" becomes a political flashpoint ahead of the new movie's release.