President Trump interviewed the wife of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for the top job at the World Bank.
Heidi Cruz met with Trump this week in the Oval Office about the post before the president decided to select another candidate for the position, Bloomberg first reported on Wednesday.
“It was an honor for Heidi to be considered by the Administration as a finalist for President of the World Bank,” a spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz told the Washington Examiner. “Heidi is the daughter and granddaughter of missionaries, lived in Africa as a child, and has a passion for the developing world and the power of free-market solutions to alleviate poverty. She was humbled to be among a strong list of other strong candidates to serve.”
Heidi Cruz, a Harvard Business School graduate, is a managing director at Goldman Sachs. She previously served as an economic adviser for former President George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign. She later worked for the 43rd president’s administration in a variety of economic roles, including with U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Zoellick, the Treasury Department, and the National Security Council.
The White House is mulling a U.S. nominee to replace outgoing World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who announced this month he would be leaving the organization in February.
Trump and the Cruz family share a turbulent history. Trump attacked Heidi Cruz for her looks during the 2016 campaign. In March of that year, then-candidate Trump retweeted a picture of his wife Melania Trump and an unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz, with the caption, “No need to ‘Spill the Beans.’ These images are worth a thousand words.” Trump later expressed regret over the post.
