Sen. Rand Paul shouldn’t be leaping on the JD Vance bandwagon for president in 2028. (Watch the video beneath.)
The Kentucky Republican strongly instructed he wouldn’t again the vice chairman, at the same time as Vance tracks fairly well in early polling to succeed President Donald Trump.
Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday famous to Paul that Turning Level USA CEO Erika Kirk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have already backed Vance.
“Is JD Vance the inheritor obvious right here?” the newsman requested.
Paul at first danced across the query, criticizing the administration’s commerce wars, earlier than Karl elicited a extra particular reply.
“I believe there must be representatives within the Republican Party who nonetheless consider worldwide commerce is nice, who nonetheless consider in free market capitalism, who nonetheless consider in low taxes,” Paul mentioned. “It used to separate conservatives and liberals that conservatives thought it was a spending downside — we didn’t need extra income, we wished much less spending.”
“However now all these pro-tariff protectionists, they love taxes. And they also tax, tax, tax, after which they brag about all of the income coming in,” Paul continued. “That has by no means been a conservative place.”
“So I’m going to proceed to attempt to lead a conservative free-market wing within the get together, and we’ll see the place issues lead over time.”
“And that’s not JD Vance?” Karl requested.
Paul hesitated for a second. “No,” he replied.
Paul has opposed Trump and Vance on several issues lately past tariffs, together with the legally questionable strikes on suspected drug smugglers at sea, the administration’s assaults on six congressional Democrats who made a video reminding service members they’ll reject “illegal orders” and the presidential pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a convicted drug trafficker.
TOM BRENNER through Getty Photos
