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Hello again, my friends, and welcome to the fifty-fourth edition of the Nintendo eShop discussion thread! Of course, this is where we'll discuss new and upcoming releases that are on the way to the Wii U eShop, and more! Thanks again for joining in on the discussion thread.
It's our first update day of June, and even more importantly, our last update before E3 2014! We're sure to expect a lot of interesting new reveals and more - let's hope to see more upcoming eShop games in the mix! But for now, let's appreciate what we have now, and what's currently on the way.
Without further ado, let's begin!

News & Articles

• 3DS eShop hit "SteamWorld Dig" to tunnel its way to Wii U eShop this Fall

There are many things that are so awesome about Steamworld Dig - the thrill of exploration, the "just-a-few-more-minutes" feel that I remember highly as a kid, and it really was THE game that broke my streak of playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf for days on end. The team at Image & Form was quiet on a Wii U appearance, even as the game's HD version was announced for platforms like Steam and PlayStation 4. But now, it's very apparent that the team loves Wii U and feels that it's the "perfect platform" for SteamWorld Dig. Look forward to the game this Fall!

• Wii Sports Club to be released as a retail package in North America, Europe and Australia in July

It was only eventual, but Satoru Iwata kept his word - all five sports in Wii Sports Club will be released as a retail package on July 11th in Europe, July 12th in Australia and June 25th in North America. Of course, we knew this after the Japanese version was leaked. But what about Baseball and Boxing, the sports which have yet to be released in the eShop version? No worries - they'll be coming to North America on June 26th and in Europe/Australia on June 28th. Hope you got time to float like a butterfly, practice your swing, work on that pitch, and sting like a bee!

• Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition is confirmed for Wii U and 3DS

Another World (known to us in the US as Out of This World) is a pioneer action/platformer that released across more than a dozen platforms since its debut in 1991. It's been lauded for its highly innovative use of cinematic effects in both real-time and cutscenes, which critics adored. Now, the game is back with a fresh lick of paint on modern platforms, including the 3DS and Wii U. No release date has yet been announced, but the European eShop has listed it for a June 19th release.

• Double Fine to bring Costume Quest 2 to Wii U this Halloween (October 31st), also looking to port Broken Age to Wii U if enough interest is shown

One news bit that blindsided me this past week was the announcement of Costume Quest coming to Wii U from Double Fine. I actually haven't played the original, so I went ahead and watched a few videos and it looked quite excellent. It's good that the studio is working on some great titles recently, and they've been on a roll - the game they've released before this one, Broken Age: Episode 1, has reached a multitude of platforms including PC / Mac / Linux, as well as the OUYA microconsole. I'm sure may of you guys would appreciate more Double Fine games on Wii U, so if you do want Broken Age to come to the platform, have about making some noise? Your voice matters!

• RCMADIAX announces Poker Dice Solitaire Future for Wii U eShop

It's always good to root for the little guy - RCMADIAX has managed to make somewhat of a name for themselves after their release of BLOK DROP U, a game that I dubbed as the "first graduate of the Nintendo Web Framework". Nowadays, it looks like the team has been quite busy - PDSF was made as a response to delays for what would've been their sophomore Wii U project, SUPER ROBO MOUSE, and from what I'm looking at so far, I'm intrigued. What's also good to hear is that this is meant to be 1 of 3 upcoming card/casino style games from the developer, so we'll be seeing more of them very soon. How soon? This summer!
Psst, don't forget that RCMADIAX will be here on /WiiU for an official developer AMA within the coming weeks!

Kickstarter Watch

Kickstarter Watch is back this week! Take a look at some upcoming games looking to come to Wii U and pledge if you like it!

Name	Developer	End Date	Description	Info
Dark Deception	Glowstick Games	29 JUN 2014	Finally, a fun Pac-Man style horror game! It's Pac-Man meets Cabin in the Woods.	Wii U stretch goal: $190,000.
Farrah Rogue - Zero Hour	James Guard	29 JUN 2014	An intense multiplayer FPS, just like the good old days.	Main goal: $25,000.
A Wizard's Day	Michael S. Tonder	11 JUN 2014	A platforming/adventure game. Explore 5 unique lands, solve puzzles, find new powers and stop the evil that threatens the kingdom!	Wii U stretch goal added: $25,000
Shiness	Ynnis Interactive	8 JUN 2014	Halfway between a dynamic fights’ manga and the fantasy of an RPG, discover the amazing universe of Shiness!	Wii U stretch goal added: $170,000
Luna's Tale: Curse of the Forgotten Doll	Maestro Interactive Games	7 JUN 2014	A new hand painted platformer where Luna becomes immersed in a unique toy world after her doll feels neglected and must travel five toy inspired worlds to rescue her boyfriend.	Main goal $35,000.
Red Goddess: Inner World	Yanim Studio	6 JUN 2014	Explore a mysterious planet controlled by the psyche of the main character.	Wii U stretch goal: $400,000 $250,000 $150,000. Relaunched, main goal $30,000.

New & Upcoming Releases (eShop + Downloadable Retail)

[NORTH AMERICA]

• 1001 Spikes (Nicalis) — $10.01
  
• I've Got to Run! (4 Corner Games) — $1.99
  

Don't forget! 4 Corner Games will be here on /WiiU today at 1pm Eastern/12 noon Central for our first official developer AMA!

• Chubbins (Dahku Creations) — $5.99
  
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Little Orbit)* — $39.99
  

^{*Available on June 10th.}

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

• How to Survive (505 Games) — €13.99 / £12.59 / AU$18.20

[JAPAN]

• EDGE (Two Tribes) — ¥400

New & Upcoming Releases (Virtual Console)

[NORTH AMERICA]

• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Nintendo) — $7.99

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

• Wario Land 4 (Nintendo) — €6.99 / £6.29 / AU$9.10

[JAPAN]

• Brain Age - Train Your Brain in Minutes A Day! — FREE (until 6/30)
  
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Nintendo) — ¥514
  
• The Legend of Kage (Taito) — ¥514
  

Next Week on the Nintendo eShop!

It's the week before E3, and all through the house - not a creature was stirring... not even a mouse. Because he know what he'd be in for if Luigi found him.
But in all serious, all is quiet in the days leading up to E3. No confirmations for eShop games in all regions, and no confirmations for Virtual Console games outside of Japan.
In a bizarre twist of fate, Japan will be getting just one VC game next week - Hudson Soft's Blazing Lazers for the PC-Engine.

Deals & Promotions (New & Ongoing)

[ALL REGIONS]

> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (NA/EU/AUS)

In Europe, Australia and North America, you have until July 31st to register your copy of Mario Kart 8 on Club Nintendo
That includes:

• codes with standard and limited editions
• codes from console bundles (the MK8 Deluxe Set)
• copies bought directly from the eShop

In return, you'll receive one free download code for a retail title of your choosing.
North America will have the choice of:

• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Pikmin 3
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
• Wii Party U

Europe (including Scandinavia and Greece) and Australia will have the choice of:

• Nintendo Land
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Game & Wario
• Pikmin 3
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
• Sonic Lost World
• Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
• Wii Party U
• The Wonderful 101
• Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (JP)

In Japan, you can buy Mario Kart 8 to get two extra games!
However:

• you can only play these games for a month
• once the month is up, decide which one you'd like to buy for 40% off

[NORTH AMERICA]

> > > Discounts

• Just Dance 2014 (Ubisoft) — $24.99
  
• Just Dance Kids 2014 (Ubisoft) — $14.99
  
• Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft) — $24.99
  

^{Until June 9th.}

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

> > > Ongoing Promotion

Purchase Super Mario Kart between March 27th and June 30th and receive a £5.49 / €7.99 / AU$10.40 / NZD$13.60 discount off the Wii U eShop release of Mario Kart 8.
Purchases of Super Mario Kart using the Virtual Console loyalty offer qualify, and Mario Kart 8 must be purchased between 5/30/2014 until 6/30/2014; both downloads must be made on the same Wii U system.

> > > Discounts

• Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara (Capcom) — €8.99 / £7.19 / AU$11.70
• Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom) — €29.99 / £23.99 / AU$35.97
• TNT Racers - Nitro Machines Edition (Keen Games) — €4.99 / £4.49 / AU$6.49
• Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW! (Bandai Namco) — €14.49 / £12.19 / AU$22.05
• Ben 10: Omniverse (Bandai Namco) — €9.99 / £6.69 / AU$16.50
• Ben 10: Omniverse 2 (Bandai Namco) — €14.99 / £13.69 / AU$24.75
• Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade (Bandai Namco) — €9.99 / £9.99 / AU$24.95
• Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (Bandai Namco) — €19.99 / £16.29 / AU$26.35
• Rise of the Guardians (Bandai Namco) — €15.49 / £11.99 / AU$23.75
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - Wii U Edition (Bandai Namco) — €14.99 / £9.99 / AU$24.95
• The Croods: Prehistoric Party (Bandai Namco) — €9.99 / £6.59 / AU$16.45
• Turbo: Super Stunt Squad (Bandai Namco) — €14.49 / £12.19 / AU$16.45

^{Capcom discounts end on June 8th, Keen Games discount ends on June 19th, Bandai Namco discounts end June 29th.}

Bite-Sized Reviews

[eShop] Pushmo World (Nintendo)

Nintendo Life - 8/10
Destructoid - 8/10
USgamer - ★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

[eShop] Chubbins (Dahku Creations)

Nintendo Life - 7/10

[eShop] I've Got to Run! (4 Corner Games)

Pure Nintendo - 8/10
Nintendo Life - 5/10

Wrap-Up

Looks like that'll be all for today! Of course, you guys are free to discuss your wishes for any eShop or Virtual Console game to come to the eShop. Also, usual thanks to my avenues of information from Nintendo Life, Vooks, GoNintendo, and other sources.
Question prompts for this week:

• What game(s) are you picking up?
  
• Hyped for E3 next week?
  
• Would you want Broken Age to come to Wii U?
  

I'll see you guys next week with more eShop news!

SkyF1 has been the award winning broadcaster for 2012 and 2013, and presumably for 2014 as well, because of its extensive coverage. Compared to BBCF1's 60-minute pre-race shows, SkyF1 has 90-minute/120-minute features. However, while I usually thoroughly enjoy BBC's pre-race show, I find myself sometimes tuning in in the middle of Sky's Brundle's Gridwalk and maybe even later. Here are my thoughts on SkyF1's pre-race show.
Disclaimer: OPINIONS. Also I've obviously not watched all of SkyF1's features to make a thorough review. I've only watched BBC when Humphrey was hosting the show as well, so that's what I will compare Sky to.
When Sky is doing a feature with a driver, it seems like neither the interviewer nor the driver is having fun; instead, they're just trying to plug an interview in, if it is not a vis-a-vis interview already. Example: Kimi's lawnmower race with Sky. Fantastic idea, but they had to do an interview to kill off the mood. Compare that to BBC-vs-McLaren's Jetski Challenge, truck driving challenge pit stop challenge; drivers and presenters are just having fun, no interview needed.
That brings me to my next point: Sky is too heavy on interviews and analysis. This has 2 problems: 1, analysis is boring and dry, and there are only so many PR responses that drivers can give in interviews; 2, During a race weekend, we probably would have heard from a driver during Press Conference, Pre-Qualy show, Post-Qualy interviews, Pre-Race show, grid walk, Post-Race press conference and interviews.. That's just too much.
A sub point is SkyPad and Track Walks. If it's a new track like RB Ring or Sochi, track walks are well justified; for others, we already know the tracks too well. I understand there might be new audience every week, but if the track walk is just repeated analysis about Parabolica or Casino Square without bringing any new fun stuff in, it gets boring. Examples: DC's Track Guide with Schumi in Montreal vs. Brundle's Track Guide with Schumi in Bahrain. I think I'm right in saying one looks far less boring than the other.
Also, it bothers me a bit that with all the resources Sky has (that Ted has showed off in his notebook), a good chunk of the pre-race show ends up being presenters talking among themselves. Booooring. Brundle also seems much more tame and less cheeky on Sky than on BBC/ITV ([Brundle's cheeky moment with Heidfeld, with Rider That's why we love that man right?), probably because Crofty does the shouty bit and does it too well.
So, how does Sky fill the 90 minutes of pre-race shows?
Easy. Reduce the bits we know, and improve/increase the bits we don't.

• Continue on with the awesome technical insights such as Suzuka's Lesson, Driving an F1 car, and Explaining Mercedes' Turbo
• Pre-Race show isn't the place for Analysis; Post-Race show is. Pre-Race show is to get hyped.
• Cut the "Teammate Battles" and psychological analysis on Hamilton and Rosberg; instead, give some attention to midfield/backmarkers. Showcast the driver's side that is not shown on track. Ideas: in 2013 when Seb was booed left and right, Sky could have done features with him to show how funny/down-to-earth he is. Other than that, Go to Bottas's hometown in Finland, K-Mag's hometown in Denmark, Rosberg's yacht in Monaco, etc.
• Do more features where the drivers and presenters are genuinely enjoying themselves. Previously discussed. More Examples: Hamilton playing F1 2010 game, Massa as a chef, Hamilton as a director
• Do more "local" features completely outside Formula 1. Ideas: Luxury vs. Budget at Monaco, Suzuka Noodles, BBQ at Texas, Downtown Sochi, MagLev in Shanghai, etc. Even Old Spa and Old Monza can get a bit boring, so it's better to be completely off F1 grid.
• If a feature has to be done on track, then film something a normal fan wouldn't see. Similar to Ted's Notebooks. Ideas: Swimming Pool Party in Red Bull, A Lunch in Ferrari Motorhome, A Session in Race Control Room, etc.
• Behind-the-Scene stuff would also be nice. Ted's Notebook has shown us that it can be done. Ideas: Following Sauber on a back-to-back travel, see how Singapore street circuit is set up in a night, and how Sky features are made and broadcasted. This can be genuinely fascinating stuff.
• Very importantly, show GP2 and GP3 highlights! Sky has rights to show them, I'm sure. WRC does that with WRC2/WRC3, IndyCar does that with IndyLights, then a 5 minute summary of GP2 and GP3 weekends wouldn't hurt anyone; in fact, it's good for the feeder series' drivers' names to be mentioned, good for their sponsor, and good for the fans as well.

Overall, I think if Sky fully exploited the resources and ideas available to them, they can make a much more enjoyable package of Pre-Race shows. Come on, if Sky can afford those slo-mo cameras, if they can get Kimi to race a lawnmower, there is little they cannot do.

Opinions A history of Donald Trump’s business dealings in Russia By David Ignatius Opinion writer November 2
President Trump takes questions from reporters before boarding Marine One (Drew AngereGetty Images)
MOSCOW — An ice-blue 14-story office tower called Ducat Place III is the building that President Trump might have constructed here, with help from a business friend named Howard Lorber who came with him to scout the market in 1996. But like so many other Trump adventures in Russia, this one proved a tantalizing but futile dead end.
Trump is angrily dismissive when questions are raised about his Russian contacts. He calls the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III a “witch hunt” and media reports about his Russia connections “fake news” and “fabrication.” He tweeted in January, shortly before his inauguration: “I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA — NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!”
As the Mueller investigation accelerated this week with the indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the plea deal reached with former campaign foreign-policy aide George Papadopoulos, the context of the probe becomes newly important. How did Trump accumulate his network of Russian business contacts in the years before the 2016 campaign? What’s the prehistory of Trump and Russia?
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The Mueller investigation is still in its opening round, and it’s far too early to make any judgments about Trump’s own actions. A member of Trump’s inner circle told me that he advised the president recently, “This is the most innocent you’ve ever been of any allegation.” But to reach a judgment, you first must understand the history of Trump’s fascination, bordering on obsession, with Russian business deals.
The simple truth is that Trump has been hungry for Russia projects for more than three decades. He has repeatedly touted plans for a Moscow mega-development and has courted a steady stream of investors from the former Soviet Union for ventures in New York, South Florida and other locations. Trump has enjoyed playing the “big guy” in Moscow. As he bragged to a New York real-estate publication after a November 2013 dinner with prominent business leaders: “The Russian market is attracted to me.”
Trump’s Russia connections helped sow the seeds of Mueller’s investigation. The best example is the now-famous June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower organized by Donald Trump Jr. with Russians who had links with the Kremlin. Mueller is investigating whether that meeting was part of a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. But any potential criminal issues aside, the gathering embodied the Trump family’s 30-year involvement with wealthy tycoons from the former Soviet Union.
What follows is an attempt to explain Trump’s encounter with Russia as a narrative. Most of the details have surfaced before, but it has been hard to see the story whole, as a business saga. With Russia, as with so many other aspects of Trump’s business and political life, he has been more pitchman than builder. What’s clear, reviewing the facts, is that Trump’s claim he had “nothing to do with Russia” over the years is nonsense. 3:06 Inside the plan to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow
The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig and Tom Hamburger explain the Trump Organization's efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. (Jenny Starrs, Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)
Trump’s business interest in Russia began in 1986. The flashy young tycoon met Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin at a luncheon and, as he recounted in his 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal,” the two began “talking about building a large luxury hotel across the street from the Kremlin.”
With Dubinin’s encouragement, Trump flew to Moscow in July 1987 with his Czech-born first wife, Ivana, to check out potential sites. Trump wrote in his book: “It was an extraordinary experience. . . . We stayed in Lenin’s suite at the National Hotel, and I was impressed with the ambition of the Soviet officials to make a deal.”
But Trump was preoccupied with other business projects in the late 1980s, including buying an airline and the Plaza Hotel (which he lost after bankruptcies in 1991 and 1992, respectively), and the Russia hotel deal stalled.
Trump explored the Russian market again in 1996, with help from his friend Lorber, who is chief executive of Vector Group, a holding company that back then owned a Russian cigarette company and now owns Douglas Elliman Realty, one of the leading brokerage firms for super-rich Russians seeking property in the United States.
Lorber is a fascinating, little-noted member of Trump’s inner circle. Trump described him last year as one of his two closest friends; they’ve helped each other’s children in business, and Lorber introduced Trump to David Friedman, who is now U.S. ambassador to Israel; Friedman’s former partner, Marc Kasowitz, became Trump’s lawyer. Lorber even made a cameo appearance in a 2005 episode of “The Apprentice.”
The Trump-Lorber foray in Moscow began with Lorber’s business partner (and close Trump friend) Bennett LeBow, who had acquired the Liggett tobacco company in 1986. One subsidiary, called Liggett-Ducat, marketed the company’s cigarettes in Russia. And Liggett-Ducat had a 98-year lease on a prime development site in central Moscow.
With his usual panache, Trump announced plans for a $250 million investment that would include a “Trump International” complex on the Liggett-Ducat site at a November 1996 news conference in Moscow. “We have an understanding we will be doing it,” he said.
Trump bragged about his plans in January 1997, when he and Lorber met visiting Russian politician Aleksandr Lebed in New York. A 1997 New Yorker profile of Trump captured their exchange and showed the breadth of Trump’s hopes for Moscow investment and business connections.
“We are actually looking at something in Moscow right now, and it would be skyscrapers and hotels, not casinos. Only quality stuff. . . . And we’re working with the local government, the mayor of Moscow, and the mayor’s people. So far, they’ve been very responsive. . . . I always go into the center.”
The Moscow mayor Trump cultivated was Yuri Luzhkov. John Beyrle, then U.S. ambassador to Russia, offered this blunt summary of Luzhkov’s approach in a 2010 cable to Washington: “Corruption in Moscow remains pervasive with Mayor Luzhkov at the top of the pyramid. Luzhkov oversees a system in which it appears that almost everyone at every level is involved in some form of corruption or criminal behavior.” Beyrle’s cable was published by WikiLeaks.
Whatever inside track Trump thought he had with Luzhkov in 1996, the deal petered out. Trump’s business troubles were mounting at home, and financing may not have been available. Handsome towers were built at sites called Ducat Place II and III, but not by Trump.
The Trump International Beach Resort in Sunny Isles. (Angel Valentin/for The Washington Post)
The Russian moneymaker for Trump in the 2000s turned out, instead, to be investment in U.S. properties bearing his name. Russians were eager to move their capital into fancy condo apartments in New York and Florida. Here, again, his friend Lorber was well connected.
Lorber’s real-estate firm Douglas Elliman, hoping to profit from the Russian market, hired a string of Russian-speaking agents who could help rich clients find high-end properties.
“If you didn’t target the Russian billionaires, then you shouldn’t be in the business,” said Dolly Lenz, a former Douglas Elliman broker, in a 2008 article in the New York Observer. Lenz told USA Today last year that she had sold about 65 apartments in Manhattan’s Trump World Tower to Russian buyers. “They all wanted to meet Donald,” she said.
One magnet for Russian money was a private resort called Fisher Island in Biscayne Bay, just off Miami. Lorber has been a director of the Oceanside at Fisher Island Condominium Association since 2000 and is currently a director of the Fisher Island Club.
Among Fisher Island’s many Soviet-born property owners have been Aras Agalarov, a Russian-Azerbaijani magnate who sponsored Trump’s Miss Universe 2013 pageant and whose pop-singer son Emin organized the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower; and Felix Sater, a Russian-born former adviser to Trump who worked with the Bayrock Group that helped develop the Trump SoHo project in New York.
(Lorber declined to comment through Vector’s public-affairs consultant, Emily Claffey of Sard Verbinnen & Co.)
Trump’s business deals in South Florida illustrated his blend of panache and caution, his hunger for Russian cash and his ability to skirt disaster. He sold his name to condo projects in an area called Sunny Isles Beach, helped pump up the market there and walked away unscathed when it crashed.
“The city has earned the nickname ‘Little Russia’ for its high percentage of Russian-speaking residents,” notes the Douglas Elliman website, pitching high-rises there to prospective buyers. The Miami Herald reported that according to U.S. Census data, nine percent of Sunny Isles Beach households have Russian origins, the largest percentage of Russians in Miami-Dade County.
Sunny Isles is a case study in how Trump does business. It was once a decidedly un-chic beachfront north of Miami, “a place where your uncle who lives on Social Security would go on vacation,” says Peter Zalewski, a Florida real-estate consultant. But after it incorporated as a separate jurisdiction within Miami-Dade County, with business-friendly local managers, it became a magnet for investment — and was rebranded as “Florida’s Riviera.”
Trump’s name graces a string of sleek buildings along this strip of coast. First was the Trump International Beach Resort, a complex completed in 2004. Then came Trump Palace in 2006; Trump Towers I, II and III, built in 2007, 2008 and 2009; and Trump Royale in 2008. But Trump’s developer friends plunged into Sunny Isles at the wrong time. According to a 2010 article at SouthFloridaCondos.blogspot.com, unit prices at the three Trump Towers buildings dropped nearly 40 percent from the 2005 pre sales period. As the market crashed, the construction loan for Trump Towers had to be restructured. Trump Hollywood, another glitzy project further north, was driven into foreclosure in 2010.
Trump deftly distanced himself from the developers’ troubles, telling the Sun-Sentinel that he questioned their “timing.” But the condo market gradually improved, thanks in part to Russian buyers. A Reuters investigation found that 63 people with Russian addresses or passports have purchased $98.4 million of property in Trump-branded condos in South Florida.
Trump also had a personal infusion of Russian cash in the liquidity-starved 2008 market. That year he sold for a handsome $95 million a Palm Beach waterfront mansion he bought at auction in 2004 for just $41.35 million — more than doubling his money at a time when much of the South Florida market was underwater. The buyer was Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev.
Dezer Development, the real-estate company that helped attach Trump’s name to six projects in Sunny Isles Beach, saw Trump’s presidential campaign as a promotion opportunity. “It’s a free press release,” Gil Dezer told Bloomberg News in August 2016.
Donald Trump Jr. arrives at Trump Tower in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Reuters)
Helping build the Trump-Russia pipeline in the fragile 2008 market was Donald Trump Jr. He was a keynote speaker at the June 2008 Russian Real Estate Summit in Moscow, where he touted the Trump Organization’s plans to build condos and hotels in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi. At a New York real-estate conference in September 2008, Trump Jr. was frank about the tide of Russian money supporting the family business.
“In terms of high-end product influx into the U.S., Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. . . . We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia,” said the young Trump, according to a Sept. 15, 2008, article about the conference. He said he had made a half-dozen trips to Russia during the previous 18 months.
A project that had significant financing from former Soviet Union investors was Trump SoHo, a 46-story condo-hotel project in Lower Manhattan that opened in September 2007. One development partner was the Sapir Organization, founded by Tamir Sapir from Georgia. Another partner was Bayrock, founded by Tevfik Arif, a Kazakh-born businessman who brought in Sater. As has been widely reported, Sater went to prison in 1993 after stabbing a man, and later became an FBI informant.
For the elder Trump, these ex-Soviet investors were important assets for the future. He said in a deposition in a Trump SoHo lawsuit: “Bayrock knew the people, knew the investors. . . . And this was going to be Trump International Hotel and Tower Moscow, Kiev, Istanbul, etc., Poland, Warsaw.”
Trump Jr. continued traveling to Russia and Eastern Europe, prospecting for business. He was interviewed in May 2012 before giving a speech to a real-estate conference in Riga, Latvia. His comments, captured on YouTube, explain why the Trump Organization saw the former Eastern Bloc as crucial: “It’s a part of the world that now you’re starting to see some amazing architecture, some incredible real estate, you’re seeing a real big boom in wealth. . . . We have something that’s very relevant in that sector.”
Russian businessman Aras Agalarov, Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler and Donald Trumpat the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Russia. (Irina BujoAP)
The apex of Trump’s personal fascination with Russia may have been 2013, when he brought the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow and talked, yet again, of building a “Trump Tower” there. His business partner in the pageant was Aras Agalarov, president of Crocus Group, a shopping-mall developer. Forbes magazine notes that he has been called “the Trump of Russia” because of his glitzy personal marketing.
Trump and Agalarov formed an ebullient partnership over a dinner in Las Vegas on June 15, 2013, captured on the Internet. As Trump began hyping the pageant, he even tried to draw in Russia’s president himself, tweeting on June 18, 2013: “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?”
The Miss Universe red carpet was rolled out Nov. 9, 2013. Emin Agalarov sang a song, and Miss Venezuela was crowned the winner. A story published that day by RT touted Trump’s latest business plans for Russia, quoting him: “I have plans for the establishment of business in Russia. Now, I am in talks with several Russian companies to establish this skyscraper.” Aras Agalarov was quoted saying he was participating in talks to be Trump’s partner in the project.
Agalarov hosted a dinner for Trump at the Moscow branch of Nobu, which he owned. The co-host was Herman Gref, the chief executive of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and a close adviser of President Vladimir Putin. An ebullient Trump saluted Agalarov in a Nov. 11 tweet: “I had a great weekend with you and your family. You have done a FANTASTIC job. TRUMP TOWER-MOSCOW is next.”
The Trump-Agalarov contacts continued. Trump’s daughter Ivanka visited Moscow in February 2014 and toured Crocus City Hall. Emin Agalarov performed at a golf tournament the next month at the Trump National Doral, near the family property at Fisher Island. Like so many seemingly imminent Trump-Moscow deals over the years, the skyscraper plan stalled. 4:17 What we know about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting
Here's what we know so far about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer during his father's presidential campaign in June 2016. (Video: Elyse Samuels, Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
And then, finally, came an event that Mueller is said to have examined carefully — the meeting in June 2016 where Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya met with Trump’s inner circle. It helps to recall the long history of Trump’s business dealings with Russia when you read this June 3, 2016, email to Trump Jr. from Rob Goldstone, the publicist for Emin Agalarov:
“Emin just called me to contact you with something very interesting. The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father. This is obviously very high-level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Trump — helped along by Aras and Emin.”
To which Trump Jr. answered: “I love it.” The meeting took place on June 9 with, among others, Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Manafort and Veselnitskaya, a lawyer with links to the Kremlin. Veselnitskaya says her real goal was to lobby the Trump team to oppose the Magnitsky Act, which she described in a May 31, 2016, memo as “the beginning of a new round of the Cold War,” echoing Putin’s line.
As the new president was taking office, the Trump brand sparkled brighter than ever for Russians. The Miami Herald reported on Jan. 30 that in November 2016, Russians topped the list of foreigners looking for homes in the Miami area.
Oren Alexander, one of the top brokers at Douglas Elliman, explained the post-election trend to the Herald: “There’s no doubt that Russian buyers think America is a good place to be again.” Among the places that attracted Russian purchasers, he said, were Sunny Isles Beach and Fisher Island.
Mueller’s investigation might tell us whether any of these Trump-Russian business connections improperly melded into the 2016 campaign. But at the core of Trump’s interaction with his Russian friends is an insight they have shared ever since Soviet days: Politics may be transitory, but real estate is forever.
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