President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed reports that he is pushing Ron DeSantis to pick his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, for a seat in the Florida Senate, saying it is entirely up to the governor.
At a freewheeling news conference Monday, Trump was asked whether he expected DeSantis to choose Lara Trump to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Marco Rubio if he is confirmed as secretary of state.
“No, I don’t. Probably not. But I don’t know,” he said. ‘Ron is doing well. That’s his choice; it has nothing to do with me.”
Trump praised his daughter-in-law, who resigned earlier this month as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, fueling speculation that she was being appointed to fill the Senate seat.
“You know, it’s funny, people talk about nepotism a lot,” he said, before suggesting that Lara Trump wowed Republicans when she took on the role of the RNC. “I never had that. When I put her there, people said, ‘How did you get her to do that?’”
Trump’s allies have lobbied hard for Lara Trump to take over the Senate seat, and Trump has also reportedly advocated for her personally. Lara Trump herself also publicly suggested that she would welcome the opportunity.
DeSantis has said he would make a decision in early January, but has not indicated which direction he is leaning. Accommodating Trump’s preference could have a potential benefit for DeSantis, who may have 2028 presidential ambitions, not least avoiding resentment from the MAGA world.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
