What happened
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Thursday that his state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, will replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in the Senate after he is confirmed as secretary of state.
Who said what
Moody, 49, is a close DeSantis ally and has been "instrumental" in defending his "conservative agenda" in court and on Fox News, The Associated Press said. Donald Trump's supporters wanted his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to replace Rubio, "putting DeSantis in an awkward position," The Washington Post said, but as the governor "continued to signal interest in other candidates," she bowed out last month.
DeSantis said he was picking Moody to cut federal spending and help "rid our institutions, federal agencies, universities, corporations of the pernicious woke ideology." Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the Senate seat was Moody's "reward" for being "Ron's personal lapdog." Moody praised DeSantis' leadership but ended her acceptance speech with Trump's catchphrase: "America first, let's get it done."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Rubio is the only Trump Cabinet pick "being widely discussed as a Day One possibility" for confirmation, Politico said, though "all 100 senators will have to agree to accelerate any final confirmation vote to Monday." If Moody wants to serve out Rubio's full term, until 2028, she will have to defend the seat in a 2026 special election.
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipeThe Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Under siege: Argentina’s president drops his chainsawTalking Point The self-proclaimed ‘first anarcho-capitalist president in world history’ faces mounting troubles
-
Sarkozy behind bars: the conviction dividing FranceIn the Spotlight Sarkozy speaks to the press with wife Carla Bruni at his side outside a Paris courtroom after the guilty verdict
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Miami Freedom Tower’s MAGA library squeezeTHE EXPLAINER Plans to place Donald Trump’s presidential library next to an iconic symbol of Florida’s Cuban immigrant community has South Florida divided
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoffSpeed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsionSpeed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
