Lara Trump could be heading to the Senate after she announced she will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Trump, who is married to President-elect Donald Trump’s son Eric, was elected the co-chair of the RNC in March after her father-in-law endorsed her for the role. She played a key role in Republicans winning back the White House and control of Senate while maintaining a House majority in November’s election.
Serving as the RNC co-chair “throughout the most consequential election in American history has truly been the honor of my life,” she wrote on X on Sunday. “The job I came to do is now complete and I intend to formally step down from the RNC at our next meeting.”
Trump is now preparing for what comes next as her father-in-law prepares to return to the White House. She has indicated interest in replacing Florida Senator Marco Rubio after he was selected by Trump to serve as secretary of state in the incoming administration. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will appoint someone to take the seat through the end of Rubio’s term in 2026.
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Trump told the Associated Press in an interview that replacing Rubio in the Senate is something she would “seriously consider.”
“If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what that would look like,” she said. “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.”
On Fox News Sunday, she said that while her last name does heighten her political profile, it should be her “proven track record” that sways DeSantis.
“We’ve all had the opportunity over the past nine years really to fully involve ourselves in politics, to understand the American people, what they want, and we’ve all been residents for the state of Florida now for over three years,” she said. “If that’s something that’s put in front of me, it would be a true honor.
“I would say that my track record speaks for itself. Maybe having the last name Trump is just a little bit extra.”
She was contacted for further comment via an email to the RNC outside normal business hours. DeSantis’ office has also been contacted for comment via email.
Some supporters of the president-elect have been calling for DeSantis to appoint Lara Trump as Rubio’s replacement, while others have called her “totally unqualified” to be in the Senate.
Widespread Support
“It’s an important decision, and I think he’s going to pick Lara Trump because he knows she is clearly qualified,” Florida Senator Rick Scott said on NewsNation in November.
Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who was Trump’s first pick for attorney general but soon withdrew, called her “you’re [sic] next Florida Senator!” on X.
Benny Johnson described her as someone with a “killer instinct for reform of broken systems” and “laser-focused on the issues that Americans care most about” in a post on X in November.
“As a Florida resident, I know my voice would be represented in the US Senate best by Lara Trump. Judging by the number of calls I’m receiving about it—I’m not alone,” Johnson wrote.
Maye Musk, the mother of billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tapped by the president-elect to lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has also expressed support for Lara Trump to replace Rubio.
“The Senate is an old man’s club,” she wrote on X. “We desperately need a smart, young, outspoken woman who will reveal their secrets.”
Critics have called her a “nepotism” pick.
“MAGA pushing Lara Trump for the Florida senate vacancy is the stuff of a full-blown personality cult,” Michael Tracey, an independent journalist, wrote on X. “All they know is her last name, and that she was made RNC chair due to her last name. Usually such open nepotism would be seen as slightly embarrassing, but not to this crowd.”
The X account @CryptidPolitics, which describes itself as pro-DeSantis and is followed by some of the governor’s staff, wrote that Lara Trump is “totally unqualified and has no business being the FL Senator.
“She is purely a nepotism pick. Her time at the RNC has consisted of going to galas and posting social media content. [RNC chair Michael] Whatley does the real work.”