It didn't take long after word that Trump would nominate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to be secretary of state that rumors started flying about whom Gov. Ron DeSantis would appoint to fill Rubio's seat.
The top name that came up was Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who currently co-chairs the Republican National Committee. She's even expressed interest in it.
“I know my name has been thrown out there a lot, and I would say that my experience at the RNC has really shown me, you know, serving the American people, and if I were tapped for this, serving my home state now, of Florida, it’s a great honor and a great responsibility, obviously, but I would love to be able to go forward and do more," Lara Trump told Fox News's Maria Bartiromo last week. “If this is something I'm asked to do, I would seriously consider it. But I have yet to hear from Governor DeSantis, so, we'll see what happens."
Lara Trump on being appointed to the U.S. Senate: “If this is something I'm asked to do, I would seriously consider it. But I have yet to hear from Governor DeSantis, so we'll see what happens." pic.twitter.com/ACemefXB2q
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) November 18, 2024
Something tells me that she won't.
"Senator Marco Rubio is expected to resign from the Senate to assume duties as Secretary of State when the Trump administration takes power on January 20th, creating a vacancy roughly two months from today," Gov. DeSantis said in a post on X on Monday. "We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting. More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection likely made by the beginning of January."
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DeSantis continued, "Florida deserves a Senator who will help President Trump deliver on his election mandate, be strong on immigration and border security, take on the entrenched bureaucracy and administrative state, reverse the nation’s fiscal decline, be animated by conservative principles, and has a proven record of results."
When DeSantis said he’d select someone with “a proven record of results,” it became obvious that Lara Trump wasn’t going to be his pick for the Senate seat. While she’s done an outstanding job as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, the reality is that she doesn’t have the legislative experience to qualify as the best choice for the role. A lot of Trump loyalists will likely see this as a snub or an act of disloyalty on DeSantis’s part, but that’s not what’s happening here. The fact is, appointing Lara Trump as a senator would be a misstep.
If Donald Trump wants to build a lasting legacy within the Republican Party, Lara is far more valuable where she is, working effectively within the RNC as co-chair. Her efforts have been crucial to party operations, and removing her from that role would create a void that’s difficult to fill.
Let’s face it: the RNC needs her steady leadership right now more than the Senate does. There will be loud voices demanding that DeSantis pick her, but that doesn’t make it the right move. For the sake of the GOP’s future, Lara Trump should remain in her current position, where she’s making a tangible difference. It’s not about loyalty — it’s about strategy, and keeping her at the RNC is the smart play.
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