Lara Trump announced on social media Saturday that she’s taking her name out of consideration for Florida’s soon-to-be vacant Senate seat. It’s a smart move by the president-elect’s daughter-in-law—since she probably wasn’t going to get the seat anyway.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
One of Florida’s Senate seats will be up for grabs soon because Donald Trump tapped Sen. Marco Rubio to be the next secretary of state. Rubio’s replacement will be selected by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has a hot-and-cold professional relationship with the incoming president.
Whoever DeSantis appoints for the role will fill the seat until 2026. Then there will be a special election to decide who will serve the last two years of Rubio’s term.
Lara, who is married to Trump’s son, Eric, announced earlier this month that she would step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, which signaled to some that she was being considered for the Senate role. The nepo hire also received several early endorsements from other Republicans including Elon Musk’s mother, who said that Lara would be a great addition to the political theatre commonly known as Capitol Hill.
But it doesn’t seem that DeSantis was inclined to give Lara a slot in the Senate. In November, he said that he would appoint Rubio’s replacement in early 2025 and promised to do “extensive vetting and candidate interviews” before settling on a pick. The GOP governor has not talked publicly about who he is considering, but several people are reportedly in the mix, including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, and former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva.
In other words, despite his many personal flaws, DeSantis seems to want someone with at least an ounce of government experience for the role. That would exclude Lara, who launched a new activewear line in November and is hilariously trying to be a singer.
Even Trump, who installed Lara as head of the Republican National Committee, seemed doubtful his daughter-in-law would get picked for the Senate seat. When asked last Monday whether DeSantis would appoint her, Trump suggested that he wasn’t expecting any favors from his onetime political nemesis, whom Trump once called “Meatball Ron” and “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
“I don’t. I probably don’t, but I don’t know,” Trump said when asked if thought DeSantis would tap Lara for the role. “Ron is doing a good job. It is his choice, nothing to do with me.”
But don’t get too excited yet, as this won’t be the last we hear of Lara.
“I do have a big announcement that I’m excited to share in January, so, stay tuned,” she wrote. “I remain incredibly passionate about public service and look forward to serving our country again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I wish Governor DeSantis the best of luck with this appointment.”
Lara isn’t alone among daughters-in-law recently snubbed for government roles that their fathers-in-law wanted them to have. At least this nepo hire has her music career to fall back on.
