Trump says his daughter-in-law is his top choice to run for Sen. Thom Tillis' seat

President Trump said his “first choice” to replace Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina would be his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.

“Somebody that would really be great is Lara,” Mr. Trump told reporters Tuesday as he was returning to the White House from a short trip to Florida. “She grew up there, but they live in Florida. They have a very good life, and they, you know, they’re great people.”

He praised the way his daughter-in-law, who’s married to his son Eric, ran the Republican National Committee.

He said she hasn’t spoken about a potential run to him because it’s “too soon.”

“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 … she really knows North Carolina well,” he said.

He said he doesn’t know who the candidates would be, but she would “do very well.”

Mr. Tillis, a Republican, announced over the weekend that he would not be seeking another term. His announcement came less than a day after Mr. Trump threatened to back a primary challenger against him for not supporting his “big, beautiful bill.”

“As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term,” Mr. Tillis said in his statement announcing his decision.

“The choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election,” he said.

Mr. Trump celebrated Mr. Tillis’s decision in a social media post saying, “Great News!”