When Donald Trump named Marco Rubio his secretary of state nominee, it set up a vacancy for Rubio’s Senate job. And—surprise, surprise—the president-elect believes he has the perfect person to fill that seat: his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, whom he’s apparently recommended to Florida governor Ron DeSantis for the gig.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump “recently spoke to Gov. Ron DeSantis about Lara Trump, according to people familiar with the discussion, putting in a good word with his former 2024 GOP presidential primary rival.” Outside of working on Trump’s campaigns and serving as co-chair of the Republican National Committee—after her father-in-law effectively staged a takeover of the group—Lara has little experience in politics and has never held elected office. But she’s married to Eric Trump, and if there’s one thing the incoming president is gonna do, it’s help his family members get jobs in high places. (Trump’s transition team and the RNC did not immediately respond to the Journal’s requests for comment.)
The most notable example of the 45th president’s preference for installing not-necessarily-qualified family members in government roles was, of course, when he gave senior advisory gigs to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner during his first term. During that go-round, Trump reportedly “ordered his chief of staff to grant his son-in-law…a top secret security clearance…overruling concerns flagged by intelligence officials and the White House’s top lawyer,” according to The New York Times, which spoke to four people with knowledge of the matter.
While Ivanka and Kushner are said to be sitting this administration out, having Trump back in the White House will no doubt be a boon to Kushner’s investment firm, which received a $2 billion check from Saudi Arabia shortly after the first son-in-law and Trump departed the White House in 2021.
DeSantis himself is said to be under consideration to serve as Trump’s defense secretary should Pete Hegseth’s confirmation not pan out. According to the Journal, DeSantis “would take the job if offered,” but “some people close to DeSantis are concerned about the optics if the governor were to pick Lara Trump and become defense secretary, as it could look like one was exchanged for the other.” While that may be a concern for people close to the governor, it presumably is no issue at all for Trump, who has never let “optics,” ethics, or the law guide his decisions.
