Donald Trump revealed in 2019 that he considered handing over the leadership of the World Bank to his daughter, Ivanka Trump . In an interview with The Atlantic, the now-former President discussed his beloved daughter’s prowess with numbers and shared what would be the best-suited position for her in the Trump administration.
Ivanka served in the White House as a senior adviser when Donald contemplated a better role for his daughter. Although the Republican candidate said all his children have been ‘very, very good,’ he didn’t refrain from showing affection for the 42-year-old, whom he lovingly calls ‘baby’ in political meetings. “I even thought of Ivanka for the World Bank… She would’ve been great at that because she’s very good with numbers,” boasted Donald. He continued praising Ivanka for her admirable qualities that fit well with the role of the president of an international financial institution, per CNN .
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“She’s got a great calmness… I’ve seen her under tremendous stress and pressure,” said Trump. “She reacts very well—that’s usually a genetic thing, but it’s one of those things, nevertheless.” Although he admitted his daughter would have been ‘great at the United Nations,’ he changed his plans because others would have blamed him for promoting nepotism.
“If I did, they’d say ‘nepotism,’ when it would’ve had nothing to do with nepotism,” said Trump, adding, “But she [Ivanka] would’ve been incredible.” Instead, the former President nominated Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs David Malpass for the position of President of the World Bank.
It was later confirmed that Malpass, who had previously worked under Trump’s predecessors, the 41st President George H.W. Bush and the 40th President Ronald Reagan, was immensely qualified for the role of the World Bank leader, and the bank’s board unanimously approved of him. He served the institution from 2019 to 2023.
Meanwhile, when once-Trump loyal and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stepped down from her role, it was widely speculated the GOP front-runner would once again consider his talented daughter Ivanka to fill in. However, the 42-year-old ruled out the possibility in a tweet.
It is an honor to serve in the White House alongside so many great colleagues and I know that the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley. That replacement will not be me.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 9, 2018
She clarified, “It is an honor to serve in the White House alongside so many great colleagues, and I know that the president will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley. That replacement will not be me.” However, Trump had confidence in his “baby” daughter. He said, “You’d be accused of nepotism, even though I’m not sure there’s anybody more competent in the world,” per The Hill.
The former President announced the exit of Haley by the end of 2018. According to Trump, the former South Carolina governor informed him of her plans six months ago. It was portrayed as an ‘amicable’ departure, whereby the 77-year-old said she wanted to ‘take a break’ from the public service.
Although Ivanka had been a senior adviser to her father in the Oval Office, her first preference was to refrain from being involved in politics. In 2017, she told Fox & Friends , “I try to stay out of politics. [The president’s] political instincts are phenomenal.”
