Why Trump in Rio?

In August I attended a conference sponsored by the Creative Cities Group, an amalgam of scholars from the University of Campinas and the University of Madrid. ?Among the participants were political leaders from Sao Paulo and Rio. ?I spoke an activist from Rio about the version of Trump Towers – Trump Towers Rio – being built as part of the “legacy project” for the Rio Olympics in a city with so much work to do on poverty and infrastructure. ?Is this what the future of Rio will look like? ?The Rio mayor has said that this will distinguish Rio by being the first city in Latin America to welcome Trump. ?She shrugged and recited the usual reasons for bad decisions like this, it’s a combination of money and power and in this case an acquiescent media. ?It’s worth having a look at the website for this project where they tout this: ?”the?first project to bear the Trump name in Brazil”, as if with Trump’s history that’s a point of pride. ?http://www.trumptowersrio.com/about/