newly elected president donald trump Not holding out hope for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to tap lara trumpHis daughter-in-law will serve as the Sunshine State’s next senator.
When asked during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday if he expected DeSantis, 46, to pick him, Trump, 78, replied, “No, I don’t.”
“But I don’t know,” said the incoming president. “Ron is doing a good job, it’s his choice – it’s nothing to do with me.”
“Lara is incredible,” he continued. “Women respect him a lot. Even her workout routine is through the roof. She weighs 150 pounds. I don’t know how she does it.”
Last month, the President-elect nominated Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to be his Secretary of State, leading to speculation that his daughter-in-law could fill the vacant Senate seat.
In November, 42-year-old Lara Trump stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, a role she had held since March, sparking talk of her taking over the seat.
The president-elect rejected suggestions that the move was nepotism, arguing that top RNC officials were influenced by him.
Trump thought, “Ron’s going to have to make this decision – and he’s going to make the right decision.” “He will make the right decision.”
“I also know that Laura has a lot more things going for her,” he added. “People want him to be on television. They want to give him a contract. You know his main consideration is our country and his family.
Trump and DeSantis were previously rivals in the 2024 GOP presidential primary contest, but the two have since worked to defuse their relationship.
The President-elect has spoken to the Sunshine State’s governor about Lara Trump and put in a good word for him,
DeSantis is term limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026. Some observers have speculated that he may nominate a loyalist to temporarily fill the seat as acting caretaker in order to keep it open without an incumbent moving forward.
Former Governor Charlie Crist made such an attempt in 2009 with his former chief of staff, however, Rubio ultimately outwitted him and won the seat.
However, the optics of this may prove difficult for DeSantis.
“I would say my track record speaks for itself. Maybe having the last name Trump is a little extra. “I’m always happy to have it,” Lara Trump told Fox News earlier this month.
About three years ago, both Lara Trump and her husband Eric Trump changed their residence to Florida. There was also speculation about Trump’s daughter-in-law seeking the Senate seat of her home state North Carolina in 2022.
DeSantis has emphasized that he wants a senator who will help President Trump fulfill his electoral mandate, be strong on immigration and border security, rein in entrenched bureaucracy and the administrative state, and broadly But there will be a conservative champion.
The term-limited governor has also set his sights on selecting a senator as early as next month.
“We have already received strong interest from several potential candidates, and we continue to gather the names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary investigations,” DeSantis said Monday.
“More extensive screening and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with selection likely to be made by early January.”
During his staffing process for the next administration, Trump has added several lawmakers to both houses of Congress, putting the GOP’s chances of winning the majority at risk.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) has also been tasked with selecting a temporary replacement for Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
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