Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested on Sunday he would not back Vice President Vance as a hypothetical candidate for president in 2028.
In an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” Paul cited his opposition to the Trump administration’s tariff and trade policy when asked whether he sees Vance as the so-called heir apparent to succeed President Trump as the GOP front-runner for president in 2028.
“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, when asked about some Republicans pointing to Vance as a likely candidate next election.
Paul lamented the decline in the number of GOP politicians embracing traditional conservative values and vowed to try to bring it back. While many Republicans still say they support lower taxes and smaller government, few other than Paul have been willing to publicly criticize the president over his sweeping tariffs or oppose his signature domestic policy legislation, which Paul voted against because it added to the country’s debt.
“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,” Paul said.
“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,” Paul continued. “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,” Paul added.
ABC News’s Jonathan Karl followed up: “And that’s not JD Vance?”
“No,” Paul responded.
