Senate Slot Sets Up Potential Revival of Trump-DeSantis Rift
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump’s closest allies have an idea for who should fill Marco Rubio’s Senate seat: Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
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Rubio was nominated by Trump to be secretary of state, and will leave the Senate, where he has represented Florida since 2011, if he is confirmed.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will get to choose Rubio’s successor, but Lara Trump, who is married to the president-elect’s middle son, Eric, may not be the first name on his list. DeSantis is said to favor candidates including James Ulthmeier, his own chief of staff, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez, and Jose Olivia, the former speaker of Florida’s House, according to people familiar with the governor’s thinking.
The selection has the potential to put the president-elect and DeSantis in conflict — again — just a few months after they patched things up following a bitter fight for the Republican nomination for president.
Rubio’s successor carries high significance for Trump. The GOP will control the Senate no matter who takes the seat, but Trump needs to keep lawmakers in line to approve his Cabinet nominees and assure passage of his highest legislative priorities, including tax cuts, tariffs and new measures to halt illegal immigration.
For DeSantis, the stakes are more personal. He wants to reward loyalists and cement his legacy as the Republican leader who turned Florida solidly red. He is also thought to be likely to take another run at the presidency in four years; his second term as governor ends in 2026 and he can’t run for a third.
“He gets to pick the next US Senator, which is a powerful position to be in,” said Randy Fine, a Florida state representative and Trump ally. “And it’s a card he gets to hold for two months,” until Rubio is confirmed.
The potential standoff emerged soon after Trump unveiled Rubio’s nomination. DeSantis was on a weeklong trade mission to Italy, far from the carnival atmosphere surrounding the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago. As Trump rolled out his Cabinet picks, DeSantis’ office touted a new state trade office in Italy and his visit to a Ferrari factory. The trip was scheduled to end on Friday.
“To me he’s signaling, ‘I’m staying out of it, I don’t want to get in the middle, and I have a wild card that’s pretty powerful,’” said Susan MacManus, professor emerita of political science at the University of South Florida.
Floridians have been selected for a number of Trump’s top jobs. Representative Matt Gaetz, who represents a district in the Panhandle, was tapped for attorney general. Representative Mike Waltz was named national security adviser. Another longtime political powerhouse in the state, Susie Wiles, will serve as Trump’s White House chief of staff.
A representative of the Trump transition team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Social Push
As DeSantis toured Italy, Elon Musk, who’s become an influential adviser to Trump, backed Lara Trump by retweeting his mother’s endorsement of her on X. He added: “Lara is genuinely great.”
Rick Scott, Florida’s other senator and an ardent Trump loyalist who lost a bid to become Majority Leader, also tweeted his endorsement of Lara Trump.
Lara Trump said on Fox Business on Thursday that she was “humbled and honored to even be considered” as Rubio’s successor.
DeSantis heard about the push via social media, according to a person familiar with the situation. As of Thursday, representatives of the president-elect hadn’t asked the governor to consider Lara Trump for the job, the person said.
The governor has said privately he doesn’t plan to appoint himself or his wife, Casey DeSantis, to fill Rubio’s seat, said the person.
DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin said that no decisions had been made about Rubio’s replacement.
Trump continuously attacked DeSantis during the GOP primary, giving him the nickname “Ron DeSanctimonious.” DeSantis dropped out of the race in January. The two men later made amends, but DeSantis campaigned little for Trump, focusing instead on defeating ballot measures that would have legalized recreational marijuana and eased limits on abortion in the state.
Red Capital
DeSantis’ push as governor to get out the GOP vote — hundreds of thousands of Republicans joined Florida voter rolls under his watch — helped transform Florida to a deeply red state. Trump carried all but six of Florida’s 67 counties, including traditionally blue Miami-Dade.
Trump packing his administration with Floridians is a reflection of DeSantis’ accomplishments, observers said. The president-elect and Wiles are also expected to be major forces in the race for governor in 2026.
“That all these people are coming from Florida is a testament to Florida being so successful — and DeSantis is a part of that,” said Fine.
Lara Trump, a former television producer, jumped into politics during the 2016 campaign. Her role grew in 2024, as she took center stage at the Republican National Convention and became a more prominent presence on the trail.
“I don’t know anything about politics, per se, but I do know who this man is, who is running for president,” she said at a conference in August in Miami. “I know my father in law, and I need to go and talk to people about that.”
--With assistance from Hadriana Lowenkron.
(Updates in 17th paragraph to reflect DeSantis spokesperson’s response)
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