When U.S. President Donald Trump linked 50% tariffs on Brazil to the trial against his ally, the country's former far-right leader, Washington left Latin America's largest economy with few options to deescalate but may have overestimated the country's vulnerability to the levies.

Tarcísio de Freitas, governor of São Paulo state and a former infrastructure minister under Bolsonaro, told reporters Thursday that the U.S. tariffs would have a negative impact on the economy and for important industrial exporters from his state, including Brazilian plane maker Embraer.

Brazilian assets saw volatility spike as traders rushed to assess the endgame of President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 50% tariffs on all goods from the South American nation.