President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Christopher Landau to serve as the deputy secretary of state under Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
"I am pleased to nominate Christopher Landau to serve as Deputy Secretary of State," Trump announced in a Truth Social post Sunday night. "Chris will work closely with our great Secretary of State Nominee, Marco Rubio, to promote our Nation's security and prosperity through an America First Foreign Policy.
"Chris served as my Ambassador to Mexico, where he worked tirelessly with our team to reduce illegal migration to the lowest levels in History. He is also one of our Country's great lawyers, and clerked for both Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas on the United States Supreme Court. He graduated from Harvard College, first in his Class, and Harvard Law School, and has argued nine cases in the U.S. Supreme Court."
Also, Lara Trump announced she will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options.
Among those possibilities is replacing Rubio. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose who takes the seat through the remainder of Rubio's term, which expires in 2026.
"It is something I would seriously consider," she told The Associated Press in an interview. "If I'm being completely transparent, I don't know exactly what that would look like. 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."
Elected as RNC co-chair in March, Lara Trump was a key player in the Republicans retaking the White House and control of the Senate while maintaining a narrow House majority. What she does next could shape Republican politics, given her elevated political profile and her ties to the incoming president.
The idea of placing a Trump family member in the Senate has been lauded in some Republican circles. Among the people pushing for her to replace Rubio is Maye Musk, mother of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
"The Senate is an old man's club. We desperately need a smart, young, outspoken woman who will reveal their secrets," she posted on X.
Lara Trump is 42.
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 genuinely great."
Information from The Associated Press was used to compile this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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