Brazilian president considering traveling to Texas after NYC visit canceled

Jair Bolsonaro

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 6 (Xinhua): Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is considering traveling to the U.S. state of Texas where he may meet with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, his spokesperson said Monday, days after he canceled a trip to New York City.

Plans for a potential trip by Bolsonaro to Dallas city for an event scheduled for May 14-16 are still being finalized, spokesperson Otavio Rego Barros told a regular press briefing.

Bolsonaro had planned to visit New York City to receive a "Person of the Year" award from the Brazil-U.S. Commerce Chamber, but the schedule was deleted after the venue for the ceremony, the New York Museum of Natural History, decided not to host the event because of criticism of his anti-environment remarks.

Following the museum's boycott, organizers failed to find any venue, and three major sponsors pulled out of the event.

After New York Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned against the event, the Brazilian government announced that Bolsonaro would not attend the ceremony, saying the situation was "ideologized."

According to Barros, the president may receive the award during his trip to Texas, but detailed information has not been confirmed yet.