WASHINGTON — Sen. John Kennedy, known for his rapid-fire quips, is not ruling out a 2028 presidential bid. The Louisiana Republican also came to Sen. Tom Cotton’s defense after President Trump publicly attacked Cotton over his opposition to the Sunshine Protection Act.
Kennedy, 74, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that his immediate priority is seeking another Senate term. Still, he said he could reconsider his plans if he no longer believed he could make a meaningful impact in Congress.
“I haven’t made a decision,” Kennedy said. “If a bunch of, on my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run, and I think they’re goobers, and one of the goobers might win, and I think I could do a better job, I would consider running.”
The Louisiana senator, whose distinctive Southern drawl and memorable one-liners frequently spread online, is up for reelection in 2028.
His fellow Louisiana Republican, Sen. Bill Cassidy, lost a primary earlier this year after Trump backed Rep. Julia Letlow’s effort to defeat him.
That outcome has not stopped Kennedy from occasionally challenging Trump or his administration. His pointed questioning of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about taxpayer-funded advertisements came shortly before she was dismissed.
Kennedy turned his criticism toward Trump on Sunday, objecting to the president’s public attack on Cotton. Trump disclosed the Arkansas senator’s personal cellphone number while condemning Cotton for opposing legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.
“Every now and then, there are disputes in Congress that have existential significance for the future of Western civilization. Daylight Savings Time is not one of them,” Kennedy said. “Tom Cotton feels strongly about it. Tom is a rock star senator.”
Kennedy added that Trump is often impossible to miss. “The president, as we know, can be sometimes — he, he exists loudly,” he said. “He can be tempestuous. He can go from zero to a-hole in about three seconds.”
“I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number,” Kennedy said.
Cotton, who leads the Senate Republican Conference, is scheduled to face voters on Nov. 3.
Kennedy is also working to support Republicans in competitive Senate contests. He said he plans to campaign in Texas, Michigan and Ohio.
He characterized the Texas contest between Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico as an “unpopularity contest.”
Kennedy predicted Paxton would ultimately prevail because Texas remains a Republican state, but cautioned that the race could be exceptionally close.
More broadly, Kennedy argued that the political environment may be less bleak for Republicans than many analysts are suggesting.
“I will bet you a soda and a nice hat that the experts are wrong,” he said. Kennedy acknowledged that the contest would likely be tight but identified the cost of living as the central issue.
“Some of that is our fault,” he said of voters’ affordability concerns. “We should have done more, but we’ve done a lot, and I’ve been out on the campaign trail talking about it.”
