Trump says he doesn’t expect DeSantis to name his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as Rubio’s successor in the Senate

President-elect Trump says he doesn’t believe Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will nominate his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate.

“No, I don’t. Probably not. But I don’t know,” Trump said Monday as he answered questions from reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. “Ron is doing a good job. That’s his decision – it has nothing to do with me.”

Last month, Trump announced he would nominate Rubio, the three-term senator from Florida and ranking Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, to be secretary of state in his new administration.

TRUMP is urging Desantis to name his daughter-in-law as Rubio’s successor in the Senate

President-elect Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, December 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Since then, the president-elect and some top Trump allies have recommended Lara Trump, who served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee from March until a week ago, to fill the next two years of Rubio’s term in the Senate.

DeSantis has said he will make a decision on Rubio’s Senate replacement early next month.

DESANTIS sets timeline for naming Rubio’s Senate successor

Trump praised his daughter-in-law on Monday, saying: “Lara is incredible. She was incredible. The work she did at the RNC…she is so well respected.”

And he added that Lara Trump is in high demand.

Lara Trump speaks to the media after a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on February 21, 2024. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)

“I also know that Lara has so many other things. I mean, she has so many other things. People want her to be on TV. They want to give her contracts,” Trump said. “She has so many other things she talks about.”

The president-elect also praised Rubio, but added: “He leaves a job in Florida and Ron has to make that decision. And he will make the right decision.”

Former President Trump shakes hands with Senator Marco Rubio during a campaign rally on November 4, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Sources have confirmed to Fox News that Trump has told DeSantis that he would like to see his daughter-in-law succeed Rubio. But Republican sources in Florida suggest DeSantis is more likely to name someone who has held public office in the Sunshine State.

And Lara Trump said in interviews with Fox News and the AP that she would “seriously consider” representing Florida in the Senate.

DeSantis, a former Trump ally who clashed last year and earlier this year during a highly contentious race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, improved relations with the former president somewhat after the primary season as he supported Trump and helped raise money for the Republican candidate’s general election campaign.

Gov. Ron DeSantis holds several storm preparation press conferences on October 7, 2024, as Hurricane Milton barrels through Florida. (Florida Governor’s Office)

“Florida deserves a senator who will help President Trump fulfill his electoral mandate, stand strong on immigration and border security, address entrenched bureaucracy and the administrative state, reverse the country’s fiscal decline, be guided by conservative principles and beyond “has a proven track record of results,” DeSantis said last month.

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And he noted at the time: “We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates and we continue to collect names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary reviews. More comprehensive screening and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection expected to be made in early January.

The formal confirmation process for Rubio by his fellow senators will not begin until after Trump takes office on January 20.