Trump called Ivanka a “natural diplomat" | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Trump says he mulled nominating daughter Ivanka for World Bank president US president says that public scrutiny held him back.

U.S. President Donald Trump considered nominating his oldest daughter Ivanka to lead the World Bank, according to an interview out Friday in which he also talked up his daughter’s future presidential bona fides.

In an interview with the Atlantic, the president showered praise over all of his children, noting that his oldest son Don Jr., a frequent fixture at political rallies, has really enjoyed his foray into politics, as has his other son Eric.

But the president was especially complimentary of the one Trump child who has mostly stayed quiet about her political ambitions, his daughter Ivanka Trump, even confirming he's considered picking her for a post in his administration.

Calling Ivanka Trump a “natural diplomat,” Trump argued that “she would’ve been great at the United Nations” but indicated that public scrutiny held him back.

“If I did, they’d say nepotism, when it would’ve had nothing to do with nepotism. But she would’ve been incredible,” he said.

Trump confirmed that he did seriously consider nominating his eldest daughter for a vacancy leading the World Bank, a rumor that drew backlash from the president’s opponents.

“I even thought of Ivanka for the World Bank,” the president said, noting “she would’ve been great at that because she’s very good with numbers.”

Ivanka Trump, currently a senior adviser to her father, has long been the subject of intense interest on the outside of the White House. When she first joined the White House, some cast her as a moderating force on the president’s more impulsive, hard-right leaning nature, suggesting she could pull her father to the center on issues like climate change and LGBT rights.

Her portfolio now focuses on issues like workforce development, family leave and women's empowerment. But she has appeared on the world stage before, notably sitting in for her father once at the G20 summit and meeting with foreign dignitaries after the abrupt firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last year.

The president ultimately ended up nominating Treasury undersecretary for international affairs David Malpass to head the World Bank instead, and he was unanimously confirmed for the job last week.

But Trump still asserted that if his daughter ever had the ambition, she could potentially follow in his footsteps and mount her own presidential run.

“If she ever wanted to run for president, I think she’d be very, very hard to beat,” Trump contended.

“She’s got a great calmness … I’ve seen her under tremendous stress and pressure. She reacts very well — that’s usually a genetic thing, but it’s one of those things, nevertheless," he said, adding, “she’s got a tremendous presence when she walks into the room.”