President-elect Donald Trump batted down reports that he is pushing Ron DeSantis to pick his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, for a Florida Senate seat, saying it is entirely up to the governor.
At a freewheeling press conference Monday, Trump was asked if he expected DeSantis to pick Lara Trump to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Marco Rubio if he is confirmed as secretary of state.
“No, I don’t. I probably don’t. But I don’t know,” he said. “Ron’s doing a good job. That’s his choice — nothing to do with me.”
Trump praised his daughter-in-law, who stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee earlier this month, fueling speculation that she was being set up to fill the Senate seat.
“You know, it’s funny, people oftentimes talk about nepotism,” he said, before suggesting that Lara Trump wowed Republicans when she assumed the RNC role. “I never had — when I put her there, people said, ‘How did you get her to do it?’”
Trump’s allies have lobbied hard for Lara Trump to take over the Senate seat, and Trump has reportedly personally advocated for her, as well. Lara Trump herself also suggested publicly that she would welcome the opportunity.
DeSantis has said he would make a decision by early January and he has not indicated which way he’s leaning. Indulging Trump’s preference could have a potential upside for DeSantis, who may have 2028 presidential aspirations, not least of which would be avoiding resentment from the MAGA world.