Dem Sen. Heidi Heitkamp: Trump asked me to switch parties

It was December of 2016. At the time, Heitkamp was seen as a potential Cabinet pick. She said Trump wanted to talk about his administration. The two were engaged in a discussion about deregulation and other areas where they have common interests, the senator recalled. It was then that Trump made the ask.

“He says, ‘You should switch parties,’ ” Heitkamp said, when questioned by The Post about whether Trump courted her to switch parties. She responded with an ask of her own.

“I said, ‘You should give me an Ex-Im bank,’ ” the senator said, with a chuckle. It was a reference to the Export-Import Bank, an agency she was pushing to make fully operational.