Sen. Heidi Heitkamp Mary (Heidi) Kathryn HeitkampCentrists, progressives rally around Harris pick for VP 70 former senators propose bipartisan caucus for incumbents Susan Collins set to play pivotal role in impeachment drama MORE (D-N.D.) said that President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE once asked her to switch political parties during a December 2016 meeting in Trump Tower.

"When I visited with him in Trump Tower before he was sworn in, he asked me to switch parties," Heitkamp told The Washington Post on Tuesday in an interview.

"He says, 'You should switch parties,'" she recalled. "I said, 'You should give me an Ex-Im bank.'"

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She was referencing the Export-Import Bank. At the time of the meeting, Heitkamp was pressing to have Trump restore full lending powers to the agency.

Heitkamp said that Trump might have made another overture about switching parties during a flight from Washington to North Dakota in September. At the time, Trump flew the state's congressional delegation on Air Force One for a tax reform event there.

Heitkamp told the Post that Trump often prods her about her party affiliation.

"He’s always ribbing me a little bit about being too conservative to be a Democrat," she said.

Heitkamp is up for reelection this year, and is among the Senate Democrats expected to face a tough challenge. Trump won in North Dakota by more than 120,000 votes in 2016.

In the interview, Heitkamp sought to cast her allegiance to the state Democratic Party, as opposed to the national party.

"I do feel allegiance and ties to the North Dakota Democratic-[Nonpartisan League] Party," she told the Post.

--Updated at 10:46 p.m.