A Mild Defense of Lara Trump

Opinion|A Mild Defense of Lara Trump

Senator Lara Trump.

Let us contemplate those words as we unpack the latest burst of nepotism being pursued by Donald Trump, who has reportedly been lobbying Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to appoint the president-elect’s daughter-in-law to the Senate seat being vacated by Marco Rubio.

Using politics and government to enhance and enrich the family brand is standard practice for the House of Trump. If you believe Jared Kushner’s private equity firm would have been given all that overseas investment money to play with absent his daddy-in-law’s political juice, I have a gold-plated Trump Bible to sell you, once owned by Jesus himself.

Now, with Javanka having lost interest in the public sector, Mr. Trump has moved on to the B- and C-list family members for his encore term: Ivanka’s father-in-law, Charles Kushner, is on deck to be the ambassador to France. Tiffany’s father-in-law, Massad Boulos, will be a special adviser on the Middle East. Heck, even Kimberly Guilfoyle, whose engagement to Don Jr. is rumored to have hit the skids, has been nominated to be the ambassador to Greece. Terrifying in diplomatic terms. And yet, as breakup gifts go, that would be pretty sweet.

Lara Trump being tapped for the Senate feels a smidge different, if only because the Trump family tree would start entwining with other branches of government. By now, we’re used to certain ambassadorships and administration posts being doled out as thank-you treats to big donors and other loyalists. But the Senate is an independent power center, where serious legislation rises and falls, and lifetime appointments to the judiciary are confirmed. Doesn’t Mr. Trump’s trying to install some aimless family member with no experience in public service or elected office threaten to devalue the coin?

Meh.

While the Senate is a venerable institution largely populated by at least semi-serious people, the chamber also has a rich history of nepotism and of welcoming members far more embarrassing than Lara Trump (even factoring in her unforgivable stab at being a pop singer). Her appointment would be less of a novel affront than a throwback, and hardly beyond the pale. So I come not to mock the president’s daughter-in-law but to defend her. Sort of.

Once up a time, the best way for a woman to make it to either chamber of Congress was as the freshly minted widow of a member who died in office. Since the 1930s, seven women have been appointed to serve out the Senate terms of their late husbands, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. Over on the House side, 39 women have won special elections to succeed their late husbands. And we’re not talking ancient history. In 2021, Julia Letlow won a special election to fill the seat of her spouse, who died of complications of Covid-19 just days before being sworn in.