Rand Paul reaffirms Trump critique, keeps 2028 door open on pro-capitalism message
Sen. Rand Paul thinks capitalism, what “really made America great,” is being forgotten in politics.
And he’s open to running for president in 2028 on that message, even if it means running against the leaders of the MAGA movement.
That was the message in Lexington Friday, where Paul spoke to a crowd of business and political leaders at a Commerce Lexington event downtown. The longtime senator was full of criticisms for President Donald Trump’s approach to trade, the files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Federal Reserve.
“You know, there’s this guy, you may have heard of him and his slogan ‘Make America Great Again.’ You’ve heard that one? The important part isn’t in the ‘Make America Great Again.’ Really, I think what’s been missed by a lot of people is what made America great in the first place,” Paul said.
His answer: Capitalism, and he had sharp words for Trump’s use of tariffs to impact trade relations between the U.S. and other countries.
“Trade is not something different than capitalism. It is a function of capitalism. And people say, ‘Yeah, we’re being ripped off.’ Actually, the president says this. It’s a fallacy, and I know I shouldn’t say that because the president’s 85% popular, and I like the president, and I still play golf with him sometimes. But the thing is, it is a fallacy that trade rips off anyone,” Paul said.
He also ripped what he characterized as an obsequious culture in Congress, where Republican lawmakers treat the administration not as a coequal branch but as a superior to whom they must submit.
Paul described an “obsequious” interaction between a U.S. trade representative and a member of Congress lavishing praise on them and the president as an example. The member was asking for a tariff exemption on Japanese-built robots needed for a factory in their district.
“You have to kiss his ring, basically. This is what happens in socialism. In socialism, the government controls everything, and who gets to do business? Those who are the brother-in-law, the brother, or who kiss the ring, or who pay a bribe. If you don’t pay a bribe, you have to ask for an exemption,” Paul said. “So one senator said, ‘Oh, we love you so much, and we love the president even more, and we’re just so happy with the tariffs, and we want to make things in our state, but we have an assembly line, and we need robots.’”
The comments came as Paul is one of several names being floated as a contender for GOP presidential nomination in 2028, when Trump will be term-limited from seeking a third term to the office. Trump has suggested that Vice President JD Vance is “probably” heir to the MAGA movement he started and twice rode to the White House.
Paul recently made headlines with fierce criticisms of Vance, who applauded the U.S. bombing of a boat suspected to be carrying drugs, on social media.
“What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial,” Paul wrote.
Paul did not say whether he’s spoken to Vance about the spat or if he sees Vance as a competitor in 2028, but added he believes the White House “got the message to a certain extent.”
Paul did not rule out running in 2028.
“Within the Republican Party, and really within the political sphere, there needs to be somebody that believes trade is good and that trade makes us rich. That’s a sort of a fundamental philosophical issue,” Paul said. “Are we being ripped off when we buy something from a foreign country or are we benefiting by (getting) a cheaper price, and we have more money left over when we buy something else that might be made in America? That, I’m going to continue to argue, there’s not that many voices for that argument. So, I do want to fill that vacuum.
“Whether that’s running for president or not, we’ll know more as it gets closer,” Paul added.
Running for president would be nothing new for Paul, who was once one of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination in 2016, when Trump eventually won. One logistical hurdle he may face is one that took some effort that time around: running for president during the same cycle that he’d seek reelection to his Senate seat, which he’s said he intends to do.
Paul would need party approval to switch to a caucus format, as was the case in 2016, or for the legislature to make a change in how elections are run to not be forced to choose between his current office and the highest office in the world.
“It did work last time, you know. But we’ll see,” Paul said Friday.
