Senator's Stance on Future Leadership
During a recent television appearance, Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky indicated his lack of support for Vice President JD Vance potentially taking over from President Donald Trump. The discussion arose when host Jonathan Karl referenced endorsements for Vance's possible 2028 presidential bid, including from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Erika Kirk.
"We saw Erika Kirk endorse JD Vance already for 2028 for president," Karl noted. "That was interesting. But also interesting was, so did Marco Rubio — who in that article in Vanity Fair said that 'if JD Vance runs, he'll be the nominee, and I'll be one of the first to support him.' I know it's early. What do you make of this? Is JD Vance the heir apparent here?"
Paul, without directly naming the vice president, firmly opposed the notion of a Vance presidency.
"I think there needs to be representatives in the Republican Party who still believe international trade is good, who still believe in free market capitalism, who still believe in low taxes," Paul said. "See, it used to separate conservatives and liberals that conservatives thought it was a spending problem, we didn't want less revenue, we wanted less spending. But now all these pro-tariff protectionists, they love taxes. And so they tax, tax, tax, and then they brag about all the revenue coming in. That has never been a conservative position. So I'm going to continue to try to lead a conservative free market wing in the party, and we'll see where things lead over time.
"And that's not JD Vance?" Karl inquired.
The senator's reply was unequivocal.
"No," he stated plainly.
The interview was broadcast on ABC.
