Valerie Jarrett: I urged Conway to take job in White House

by Rebecca Savransky - 12/07/16 2:05 PM ET

Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said Wednesday she encouraged top Donald Trump aide Kellyanne Conway to take a job in the president-elect’s administration.

{mosads}Jarrett told the audience at Politico’s “Women Rule” event that she spoke with Conway backstage. During the conversation, Jarrett said Conway suggested she would be unlikely to take a role in the Trump White House because she has four young children.

“I encouraged her to give it a try,” Jarrett said.

“First of all, because the experience inside the White House, working with somebody who you respect and know as well as she does the president-elect is unique, and I’ve had the benefit of that and I wouldn’t have traded the last years for anything,” she continued.

“I think tone starts at the top, and if you have a relationship with your boss such that you can say, ‘Look, this is a top priority. There’s nothing more important for me than being a good mom, but I think I can be a good mom and have the flexibility enough to do this job well.’ And that’s something I encouraged her to try.”

During the event, Jarrett also said the Trump administration will be entering office with a stable economy, a “great climate deal on the global stage” and the “very, very good Affordable Care Act.” She suggested the stability could make it easier to take the job as a mother.

“There’s a lot that’s much more stable now, I guess is what I’m saying. A long way of saying I encourage Kellyanne to try it,” Jarrett said.

“You can always leave. You can always leave if it doesn’t work out. But actually, I think it’s good for the president-elect to have people around him who he knows well and he trusts.”

Conway is reportedly considering taking the helm of the external political operation that will support Trump during his time in the White House.

Conway said last week no final decisions have been made and added it’s wrong to conclude she’s already ruled out a job inside the Trump White House. She noted she will “continue to be a very close adviser” to Trump and an “enthusiastic supporter of his presidency.”

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