Sao Paulo mayor Joao Doria could be Brazil’s next president

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João Dória Jr mayor of Sao Paulo speaks to the press on May 14, 2017 in New York, United States.

Asked by CNBC if he wanted to be president, Doria said “that there was time ahead” presumably to decide whether to run for the highest office, currently held by Michel Temer.

“We still have time ahead to decide that but at this time my focus is the city,” he said. “I think that Brazil has a great future and I prefer to work for my country and not for myself,” he added.

The media has drawn comparisons between Doria and President Donald Trump. Doria is a self-made millionaire, businessman and has hosted the Brazilian version of “The Apprentice”. He has also leaned toward populist politics and, again like Trump, he is not shy of an argument or two on Twitter with his critics.

However, when asked if he was Brazil’s answer to Trump, Doria — who has advocated globalism and free trade rather than a brand of protectionism — gave an emphatic “no”.

“I’m different from Mr Trump. The thing we have in common is that I’ve done two years of hosting the same reality show (“The Apprentice”) and that’s all. We have big differences in mind, in position. I respect him of course but my position is a little different.”

“I’m a globalist and I strongly defend this position. It’s the best position for our country to develop Brazil, to generate new employments and this is the future of Brazil and you cannot go in any other except to be a global country.”