A growing coalition of President-elect Donald Trump’s allies are backing his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to replace Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., if he’s confirmed as Secretary of State—with the state’s other Republican senator, Rick Scott, endorsing her for the role on Thursday.
Lara Trump and Eric Trump speak during a Trump campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October ... [+]
Scott told Axios he has spoken to Lara Trump about filling the seat and he hopes “that’s exactly who [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis] picks” to replace Rubio, calling her a “great spokesperson” who “did a great job with the RNC.”
Scott later tweeted she “would be a GREAT senator and represent Floridians well!”
Lara Trump, who served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, has also expressed interest in the job, telling Fox News on Wednesday, “no one knows better than I do the America First agenda or the goals of Donald Trump in the coming four years,” adding, “I would love to consider it.”
Scott joins MAGA-aligned Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., in backing Lara Trump as a replacement for Rubio, who Trump nominated for Secretary of State on Wednesday.
DeSantis has not indicated who he might tap.
“If I were tapped for this, serving my home state now of Florida, it’s a great honor and a great responsibility,” Lara Trump told Fox Business on Thursday. “If this is something I am asked to do, I would seriously consider it,” she said, adding that she has not been contacted by DeSantis.
If Rubio is confirmed for Secretary of State by the Senate, DeSantis would be responsible for selecting his replacement until the 2026 election, when voters would choose who serves out the remainder of Rubio’s term through 2028. DeSantis’ chief of staff James Uthmeier and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody are among the other names commonly floated as potential replacements for Rubio.
Lara Trump, who is married to Trump’s middle son, Eric Trump, was elected RNC co-chair in March, alongside Trump ally Michael Whatley after Trump effectively clinched the GOP nomination for president. The pair replaced former chair Ronna McDaniel, who announced in February she was stepping aside after Trump publicly criticized her on numerous occasions. A former TV producer and Fox News contributor, Lara Trump’s political profile is bolstered by Republicans’ success in the 2024 election after they retook control of the Senate and White House and maintained control of the House.
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