President-elect Donald Trump talked up daughter-in-law Lara Trump to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in an effort to make her Florida’s next U.S. senator, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
It would fall on DeSantis to appoint a replacement for Sen. Marco Rubio, who’s likely to be confirmed as secretary of state. The term ends in 2026.
The Journal, citing people familiar with the discussion, wrote that Trump put in his pitch to DeSantis, his former presidential primary rival, “recently.” Lara Trump told The Associated Press in a story published Sunday that she was interested in the job.
“It is something I would seriously consider,” she said after stepping down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. “If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what that would look like. And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that’s real for me. But yeah, I would 100% consider it.”
Lara Trump, who now lives in Florida with her husband Eric Trump, had considered a run previously in her native North Carolina, the WSJ reported. The chances of DeSantis selecting her would seem promising because it could serve as an olive branch to Donald Trump, with whom he has had a tense relationship, the outlet noted.
There is also the possibility that the president-elect could choose DeSantis for secretary of defense if the problematic nomination of Pete Hegseth doesn’t work out.
Lara Trump would appear to welcome the influence wielded by her father-in-law.
“Maybe having the last name Trump is just a little bit extra,” she said on Fox News Sunday. “I’m always happy to have it.”
