New Zealand’s Chris Liddell Praised in Politico for Trump’s Transitional Work

New Zealander Chris Liddell, a key aide to US President Donald Trump, is smoothly planning a possible transition of power after the November elections, according to Politico.

While Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses, his team is “carefully” developing plans for that very outcome.

Politico says the West Wing planning office is one of the most organized and functional parts of the Trump White House.

“While the President opposes mail ballots and ‘Sleepy Joe Biden,’ Assistant to the President Chris Liddell has spent weeks planning a possible transfer of power.”

Liddell, who grew up in Auckland, currently serves as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy coordination at the White House.

He previously served as assistant to the president and director of strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining the Trump Administration, Liddell served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of General Motors, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Microsoft Corporation, and Chief Financial Officer of International Paper (IP).

In New Zealand, Liddell directed Carter Holt Harvey.

Politico is an American political journalism company that covers politics and politics in the United States and internationally and reports that Liddell has met deadlines set by Congress for submitting two different transition reports.

He’s working closely with a career government official serving as the federal transition coordinator, usually the kind of worker Trump would label part of the “deep state.”

Politico says a key question is whether Liddell can maintain this level of professionalism “as long as” Trump begins to pay more attention to the prospect of leaving office.

Friends and allies say Liddell is aware of the sensitivity of the situation and is purposely trying to work under the radar. Liddell declined to comment with Politico.

He joined the Trump White House in the early days, first working for Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, before becoming deputy chief of staff in charge of policy coordination.

Liddell oversaw the coordination of contentious areas such as immigration and trade.

“For now, Liddell is impressing business leaders, good guys in government, and even former Obama aides with the ease of White House transition planning. A former Obama transition official said he was’ somewhat astonished that they have maintained a regular order for an administration that is not above the regular order, ”says Politico.

Trump nominated Liddell for the position of secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Liddell is a citizen of the United States and New Zealand, has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Auckland and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford.