The International Monetary Fund (IMF) denied having sidelined Portuguese economist Ricardo Reis from the race for chief economist for having criticized Donald Trump's tariff policy. The assurance was given by the Fund's Communications Director, Julie Kozack, in response to a news story published by the Financial Times.
According to the British newspaper, the IMF had Ricardo Reis chosen for the chief economist position, but backed away when it learned of his criticisms of the tariffs imposed by Trump. The publication cites three sources involved in the process.
The IMF stated that it does not sideline candidates based on their research, but neither confirmed nor denied the timeline of events described by the Financial Times, leaving several questions unanswered.
Ricardo Reis is a internationally recognized Portuguese economist, currently affiliated with the London School of Economics, and was considered one of the favorites to replace the previous chief economist, Gita Gopinath, who left the position earlier this year.
