Brazilian president mends fences with White House visit

President Barack Obama has neglected relations with most Latin American countries, aside from Cuba, but this week he made strides to improve relations with one of South America's biggest economic players.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff spent two days in Washington this week, two years after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden damaged relations between the two countries by exposing U.S. surveillance of Rousseff. Her visit on Monday and Tuesday focused on strengthening ties and promoting trade.

Rousseff spoke to Brazilian business leaders in New York City Sunday and Monday and urged them to invest in Brazil. She will carry the same message to Google, Apple, and Facebook executives in the Silicon Valley today.

America is Brazil’s top foreign investor and trails only China as Brazil’s second-largest export market. Brazil’s economy plateaued last year, leading to a nearly 7 percent unemployment rate in May. Economists predict a 9 percent inflation rate this year.

Rousseff’s U.S. visit may also be an attempt to boost her image back home. A poll released Sunday noted her public approval rating fell to 10 percent, the lowest level since President Fernando Collor de Mello’s impeachment in 1992. Sixty-five percent of Brazilians polled said the current government is a “failure.”

In the last year, Brazil experienced a corruption scandal involving its state-owned oil company and a sorely lagging economy. Widespread protests before, during, and after Rousseff’s re-election last fall called for her impeachment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.