President-elect Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump announced on Sunday evening that she is stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, opening up speculation that she’s positioning herself to take over Florida’s soon-to-be open Senate seat.
With her father-in-law’s backing and after chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was pushed out, Trump joined Michael Whatley in March to lead the RNC. In her tweet on Sunday revealing her decision to resign, she said it was because she had achieved everything she set out to do after taking over.
“At the RNC, we had three distinct goals: 1) surpass all fundraising records 2) build the largest army of lawyers and poll watchers to ensure election integrity and, 3) turn out millions of Americans and low prepencity (sic) voters during early voting. We accomplished all three,” she declared in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Trump’s name has been floated as a possible replacement for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who was tapped last month by the incoming president to be the next secretary of state. Speaking to the Associated Press, Trump said that she was definitely open to the idea of Gov, Ron DeSantis choosing her to serve out the rest of Rubio’s term, which goes through 2026.
“It is something I would seriously consider,” she said. “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.”
With her recent ascendence within the party and her status as a Trump family member, Republican lawmakers and MAGA supporters have been pushing for the aspiring pop singer and clothing brand owner to make her next career leap into the Senate.
After Rubio was nominated to be the nation’s top diplomat, fellow Florida Sen. Rick Scott publicly backed Trump for the seat, saying she “would be a GREAT Senator and represent Floridians well.”
Maye Musk, the mother of “first buddy” Elon Musk, also urged DeSantis to name Trump as Rubio’s replacement, calling the Senate an “old man’s club” while claiming Trump is a “smart, young, outspoken woman who will reveal their secrets.”
Replying to his mom’s tweet, her son added: “Lara Trump is genuinely great.”
Trump would go on to praise the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk’s nongovernmental effort to cut federal spending by mass firing government workers. “I really don’t think we’ve seen a movement like this in our federal government since our country’s founding in many ways,” she stated. “And I think if they are successful in what they plan to do, I think it is going to be transformative to America in a great way.”
While DeSantis is responsible for choosing Rubio’s successor, the Republican governor and the president-elect’s former political rival is also reportedly being seriously considered to replace Pete Hegseth, the currently embattled nominee for secretary of defense. “Trump talked to the governor and wants him to do it,” a source told NBC News last week.
Hegseth’s nomination has grown in peril as several GOP senators have privately expressed their wavering support for him amid a flood of allegations of excessive drinking, sexual misconduct, and financial mismanagement at veterans advocacy groups he led.
Denying accusations of sexual assault despite reaching an undisclosed settlement with the accuser, the former Fox News star had vowed not to withdraw as Trump’s choice while the incoming president has reiterated his public backing for the TV host.
