President-elect Donald Trump is casting doubt on his daughter-in-law’s chances of replacing Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate should he step down to become Trump’s secretary of state.

Asked at a press conference on Monday whether he expects Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to name Lara Trump as Rubio’s successor, the president-elect answered bluntly: “No, I don’t.”

“I probably don’t, but I don’t know,” Trump said. “Ron’s doing a good job and it’s his choice. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

See also — Katie Britt says Lara Trump ‘would be a tremendous pick’ for Marco Rubio’s Florida Senate seat

Trump’s remarks came a week after Lara Trump stepped down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, a move that fueled speculation that she could be tapped to fill Rubio’s Senate seat.

She has said that she would “seriously consider” taking the appointment, though DeSantis, who is responsible for choosing Rubio’s successor, hasn’t publicly indicated whom he could pick for the job.

The Florida governor has already begun vetting potential Senate appointees, and has said that he’ll likely make a decision on Rubio’s replacement by early January.

Several high-profile Florida Republicans have been floated as potential candidates for the Senate seat, including DeSantis’ Chief of Staff James Uthmeier, state Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez.

Trump is also said to be considering nominating DeSantis for defense secretary if his current pick for the job, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, isn’t able to win confirmation in the Senate. It’s unclear if that possibility could influence whom DeSantis chooses for Rubio’s seat.

Trump has publicly expressed support for Hegseth, who has said that he does not intend to withdraw from the defense secretary nomination.

Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach on Monday, Trump heaped praise on his daughter-in-law, saying that she had done an “unbelievable job” as the RNC’s co-chair. But he also said that the decision on who will replace Rubio in the Senate was DeSantis’ alone.

Trump said that no matter what DeSantis decides to do, Lara Trump has plenty of options on the table.

“Ron’s going to have to make that decision and he’ll make the right decision. I also know that Lara’s got so many other things. I mean, she’s got so many other things. People want her to be on television. They want to give her contracts.”

“Her predominant thoughts are her country and her family,” Trump added. “Those are her thoughts.”

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