Kentucky’s Republican Senator, Rand Paul, is contemplating a run for the presidency in 2028, as he disclosed in an upcoming interview that will be broadcast on Sunday.
In a conversation with “CBS Sunday Morning,” Paul remarked, “We’re considering it, and I would say there’s a 50-50 chance.” He added that a final decision will be made after the next election cycle.
Known for his libertarian views, Paul has consistently championed fiscal responsibility, civil liberties, and a non-interventionist approach to foreign affairs. He expressed concern over the GOP’s recent shift towards populism and discussed the possibility of charting a new course for the party.
“There once was a strong free market and Libertarian faction within the party, but that’s largely disappeared,” Paul noted. “Many days, I find myself as the sole advocate for free trade in the Senate.”
Nevertheless, Paul believes there remains a significant interest in free trade among the business community. He suggested that by uniting the Libertarian vote—despite its potential electoral limitations—with support from the Chamber of Commerce and traditional business sectors, a new political force could emerge, steering the party away from its populist trajectory.
“But I think there still is a desire among business for it, and it may make the so-called Libertarian vote — which might not be big enough to ever win anything — if you combine that with the Chamber of the Commerce and the traditional business community that doesn’t like protectionism, there may be a force out there for a different direction from the party other than being continued to be led by populism.”
Paul ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, but dropped out following a fifth place finish in the Iowa caucuses, after receiving just 4.5% of the vote.
Since then the senator has butted heads with President Trump on many issues, including his tariff policy, airstrikes on suspected drug boats, the military raid in Venezuela that captured Nicolas Maduro and talk of seizing Greenland.
Paul also voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and was the sole GOP no-vote on a measure to end the record-long 43-day government shutdown last fall.
Most recently, Paul has supported Democrat-led efforts to rein in Trump’s military authority after going to war with Iran and opposed the president’s nomination of Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
