OECD confirms New Zealand-born Trump confidant Chris Liddell has bowed out of race for top job

January 21, 2021
Chris Liddell.

New Zealand-born Chris Liddell has withdrawn from his bid for the top role at the OECD.

Liddell has both New Zealand and US citizenship and his latest role has been as the deputy chief of staff at Donald Trump's White House.

His bid for the OECD role has been contentious.

The New Zealand Government had refused to say whether it was backing him or not, while both the National and ACT parties withdrew their support for him after the US Capitol riots.

"Mr Liddell's ties to the Trump Administration cannot be overlooked here, making it difficult to see how he would be suitable to uphold the OECD's strong commitment to democracy," National leader Judith Collins said last week.

The Matamata-born businessman has now entered the red-hot cauldron of Trump's closest advisors.

Liddell was reportedly considering resigning from his White House role in the aftermath of the riots but opted to stay until Trump's tenure ended.

Trump nominated him for the OECD Secretary-General role last year.

Liddell withdrew from the race yesterday, the organisation has confirmed in a statement today.

"The Chair would like to record the thanks of all OECD Members to Chris Liddell for his willingness to be nominated for the position, and for the spirit with which he has engaged in the process," it said in a statement.

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