Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, returning to the White House.
Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who Trump chose to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose who fills the seat for the remainder of Rubio’s term, which expires in 2026.
“It’s something I would seriously consider,” he told The Associated Press in an interview. “If I’m completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what that would look like. And I definitely want to get as much information as possible if this is a real thing for me. But yes, I would 100% consider it.”
Elected as RNC co-chair in March, Lara Trump was a key player in Republicans regaining the White House and control of the Senate while maintaining a narrow majority of the Chamber. What he does next could shape Republican policy, given his high political profile and ties to the new president.
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The idea of placing a member of the Trump family in the Senate has been praised in some Republican circles. Among those pushing to replace Rubio are Maye Musk, mother of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“The Senate is an old men’s club. We desperately need a smart, young, outspoken woman to reveal her secrets,” she posted on X. Lara Trump is 42 years old.
Elon Musk, who was with Lara Trump on election night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, responded to his mother’s post: “Lara Trump is really cool.”
Led by Chairman Michael Whatley and Lara Trump, the RNC invested heavily in recruiting some 230,000 volunteers and an army of lawyers for what it called its “election integrity” effort, four years after Donald Trump lost his bid in the re-election against the Democrat Joe Biden, citing false. or unproven theories about voter fraud. Outside groups such as Turning Point Action and Musk’s America PAC took greater responsibility for advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Although Whatley will remain RNC chair, Lara Trump said she felt she had accomplished her goals in the role of co-chair.
“With this big win, I feel like my time is up,” he said. “What I wanted to do has been done.”
Lara Trump praised Musk’s new effort, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a nongovernmental task force headed by Musk and business partner Vivek Ramaswamy. They have been selected to lay off federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations as part of Trump’s “Save America” agenda for his second term.
“I really don’t think we’ve seen a move like this in our federal government since the founding of our country in many ways,” he said. “And I think if they’re successful in what they plan to do, I think it’s going to be transformative in America in a great way.”
He said he expects a different presidency this time around, starting with the structure of the administration: While Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner served as White House advisers in his last administration, Lara Trump say he doesn’t see any family. member who takes some position in the White House this time with his father-in-law.
“He really wants to go in there and do a good job all four years, and that’s all he wants to serve,” he said. “Four years, and he’s out.”
Lara Trump also says she hopes the Republican Party is more united than ever. When she became co-chair in May, the Trump campaign and the RNC merged, with staff fired and positions restructured. He said the outcome could spell trouble for Republican lawmakers who disagree with Trump’s agenda.
“The whole game has totally changed and totally changed,” he said. “I think people feel a little bit more bold about expressing their political views.”