DeSantis doesn’t have to listen to Trump after the two men saw their relationship falter amid DeSantis’ national rise and his failed 2024 presidential campaign. But the president-elect has given Florida a nearly 13-point lead this year, giving Trump a chance gained political capital and at least the perception of influence.

“I think that choice makes a lot of sense and would be great for Florida,” said one Trump ally, who acknowledged there is interest from the Trump world in seeing DeSantis appoint Lara Trump. “He had a great evening last Tuesday. He won by large margins, including in Florida. I think it’s pretty clear that this move would not be controversial for Florida Republicans.”

But Trump’s wishes are far from the only consideration when it comes to a Senate seat that hasn’t been open in fourteen years. Another route that is getting a lot of attention, according to five sources NBC News spoke to, is the so-called “placeholder” strategy.

In that scenario, DeSantis would likely appoint James Uthmeier, his longtime chief of staff and top political adviser who also did legal work for Trump’s first campaign and advised former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Uthmeier would then not run if a special election were held in 2026 to fill the remaining two years of Rubio’s term, leaving DeSantis with an open Senate seat ahead of a likely runoff campaign for president in 2028.

“I think the James option is very open. If DeSantis wanted to run for the seat, James would get out of the way, and if he didn’t, a trusted DeSantis ally would run for re-election,” said a longtime DeSantis member. advisor. “DeSantis has control over the outcome either way.”

How the nomination process evolves will depend on whether the incipient pressure on Lara Trump by some figures turns into a tougher lobbying effort from Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s political home base — and how DeSantis then responds to that pressure, if this becomes reality.

“Will they be able to chase him?” the same source said of DeSantis.

DeSantis’ team is aware of the dynamics.

“I heard that too,” a DeSantis ally said of Lara Trump running for Senate nomination. “But I’ve also heard from someone at a very high level that there’s some disagreement about whether that’s a good idea.”

There is another possibility, though it is increasingly unlikely: DeSantis could nominate himself, a scenario that first presented itself over the summer when Trump was considering Rubio as a potential running mate.

Two advisers to DeSantis told NBC News that it is highly unlikely that DeSantis would appoint himself, even if the option remains open.

Others on the list of possible appointments include Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, state House Speaker Paul Renner, former state House Speaker Jose Oliva and Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., who is the first member was from Congress backs DeSantis’ presidential campaign, which was considered controversial because most of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation supported Trump.

“I think some scenarios are more likely than others,” said one DeSantis ally, indicating the placeholder strategy is likely. “But whichever direction the governor chooses, there is a lot of talent available.”

DeSantis’ rough relationship with Trump was one reason why the choice of Rubio as secretary of state surprised many political watchers in Florida.

DeSantis and Trump were close when the then-president advanced DeSantis’ once-long bid for governor in 2018, but a nasty feud erupted between the two when it became clear that DeSantis would run against Trump in 2024. Another complicating factor: After the 2018 election, DeSantis fired his campaign manager Susie Wiles, who has since become a mainstay in Trump’s political operation and will serve as his first chief of staff.

Wiles and DeSantis still have bad blood, leading some to argue that she didn’t give him a Senate appointment without a plan.

“I feel like they have a plan for the Florida angle,” said a longtime Florida aide familiar with the Trump team’s decision-making process. “The last thing Trump’s team wants is to give Ron the opportunity to really shake things up and create a lasting force for his crew, so I have to believe they’ll push hard if Ron resists.”

With Trump unable to force DeSantis’ hand, the “pushing hard” part of things could come in the form of Trump’s vast right-wing social media and podcast ecosystem, which has helped craft Republican political careers in the past or break. Most recently, this loose coalition attempted to push Florida Sen. Rick Scott over the finish line in his bid to become Senate majority leader, according to multiple media reports.

“I’m actually going to make a public call for Governor DeSantis to nominate Lara Trump to fill Marco Rubio’s term,” Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, an early Trump backer, told Benny Johnson, a prominent Trump supporter with more than 3 million followers on X. “She would avoid a very nasty primary in two years.”

“I give her my full support,” she continued about North Carolina resident Lara Trump. “I give her my full support.”