WASHINGTON – Donald Trump on Tuesday floated his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as a possible replacement for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, who will not seek reelection in North Carolina after clashing with the U.S. president over his tax-cut and spending bill.

“Somebody that would really be great is Lara,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from a trip to Florida.

“She grew up there, but they live in Florida,” Trump said. “She’s a great person, Lara Trump. I mean, that would always be my first choice. But she doesn’t live there now, but she’s there all the time.”

The North Carolina seat is seen as one of the few competitive Senate races in the 2026 midterm elections, when control of both chambers of Congress will be at stake.

Tillis was one of just three Republicans to vote against Trump’s signature bill, which passed on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins. It now goes back to the House of Representatives for possible final approval.

Tillis Cites Concerns Over Proposed Legislation Cuts

Tillis cited concerns over how the proposed legislation’s cuts to the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans could impact his constituents. His objection to the bill angered Trump, who said he would consider supporting challengers to Tillis before the incumbent announced he would not seek another six-year term.

Lara Trump, who is married to Donald Trump’s son Eric, is a native of North Carolina and served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

She weighed a bid to replace Senator Marco Rubio of Florida when he left Congress to become Trump’s secretary of state, but ultimately decided against being considered. Earlier this year, she joined FOX News Channel and hosts the weekly show “My View with Lara Trump.”

While the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is considered up for grabs next year, Democrats face an uphill battle in trying to reclaim a Senate majority.

Republicans hold a 53-47 edge, and all but two Republicans who were up for election – Tillis and Susan Collins in Maine – are in states that Trump carried easily in the 2024 presidential election. Trump won North Carolina by 3 percentage points in the 2024 election.

Former U.S. Representative Wiley Nickel is the most prominent Democrat who had announced a run against Tillis. Party leaders have been hoping that former Governor Roy Cooper, who remains popular in the state, will jump into the race.

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(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Berkrot)