João Doria was elected as mayor of Brazil’s largest burgh, Sao Paulo, in 2017 although he has been tipped as a possible contender for president.
Doria has tapped into the populist referendum in Brazil although when asked if he would run for leader later this year, when a communal election will be held in October 2018, he said he was focused on his on the qui vive job.
“I was elected to be mayor of the largest city of Brazil and Latin America (Sao Paolo) so I’m doing my job,” Doria mentioned CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Definitive September, Doria intimated that he could leave the centrist faction he is affiliated with — the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) — to run for president.
Petitioned by CNBC if he wanted to be president, Doria said “that there was repeatedly ahead” presumably to decide whether to run for the highest office, currently stand firmed by Michel Temer.
“We still have time ahead to decide that but at this interval my focus is the city,” he said. “I think that Brazil has a great days and I prefer to work for my country and not for myself,” he added.
The media has drawn resemblances between Doria and President Donald Trump. Doria is a self-made millionaire, businessman and has thronged the Brazilian version of “The Apprentice”. He has also leaned toward populist diplomacy and, again like Trump, he is not shy of an argument or two on Twitter with his critics.
After all, when asked if he was Brazil’s answer to Trump, Doria — who has advocated globalism and free-born trade rather than a brand of protectionism — gave an emphatic “no”.
“I’m dissimilar from Mr Trump. The thing we have in common is that I’ve done two years of emcee the same reality show (“The Apprentice”) and that’s all. We have big differences in pay no attention to, in position. I respect him of course but my position is a little different.”
“I’m a globalist and I strongly support this position. It’s the best position for our country to develop Brazil, to form new employments and this is the future of Brazil and you cannot go in any other except to be a far-reaching country.”