The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday denied having sidelined Portuguese economist Ricardo Reis from the race for chief economist due to his criticism of Donald Trump's economic policy, particularly regarding the impact of tariffs. At issue is a report by the Financial Times stating that Ricardo Reis, seen as the favorite for the position, was excluded from the selection process for having questioned the economic validity of the tariffs imposed by the US government.
IMF Communications Director Julie Kozack stated at a press conference that the Fund does not exclude candidates because of their academic research, even if it is critical of policies adopted by one of its members. "We must look critically at the policies adopted by our members," she added, noting that the IMF itself had warned that tariffs could trigger an increase in inflation and weigh on household expenditures, aspects also highlighted by Ricardo Reis.
The IMF launched the recruitment process following the announcement of the departure of French economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who left the position at the end of June to return to teaching at the University of California Berkeley. The position was ultimately filled by British economist Silvana Tenreyro, a former member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee and professor at the London School of Economics, who took up her role at the IMF on July 8.
The IMF has renewed several of its senior leadership positions in recent months, following the reform of several regional directorships and the resignation, approximately a year ago, of one of the Deputy Managing Directors, Gita Gopinath, who was replaced by Deputy US Treasury Secretary Dan Katz, at the proposal of the United States government.
