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President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on more than 20 countries this week, but his justification for raising import taxes on Brazil stands out. Trump cited political grievances, not just economic reasons, when he announced a new 50% rate on the South American country, which is much higher than the 10% rate initially announced in April. In a letter explaining his decision, Trump partly pointed to what he considers unfair treatment of Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, who is charged with trying to overturn his 2022 election loss. Trump called the trial a "witch hunt" and said it should end immediately. Brazil's current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, defended the country's legal system and threatened to suspend various economic agreements in response. Lula also noted that the U.S. has long had a trade surplus with Brazil, pushing back on Trump's stated goal of fixing trade deficits.Asked Wednesday how his administration is coming up with new tariff rates, Trump said, "The formula was a formula based on common sense, based on deficits, based on how we've been treated over the years, and based on raw numbers."Also Wednesday, Trump sent letters to seven smaller trading partners, setting tariff rates that will kick in Aug. 1 if new trade deals are not made sooner. Not many deals were announced during the president's initial 90-day pause on so-called "reciprocal tariffs," but one could potentially be around the corner. The European Union's chief trade negotiator said Wednesday that a trade deal could be reached in the coming days.Meanwhile, Trump says a new 50% tariff on copper will also take effect Aug. 1, citing its critical role in national security.