Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he would not support Vice President Vance if he were to run for president in 2028.
In an interview on ABC News’s This Week, Paul pointed to his opposition to the Trump administration’s tariff and trade policies when asked whether he views Vance as the GOP’s heir apparent for 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 indicating Vance as the likely candidate in the next presidential election.
Paul also lamented the shrinking ranks of Republicans who embrace traditional conservative principles and said he intends to revive them. While many GOP lawmakers still support lower taxes and smaller government, few besides Paul have publicly criticized the president’s sweeping tariffs or opposed his signature domestic policy bill, which Paul voted against because he believed it would add to the national 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. 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.
“And that’s not JD Vance?” asked ABC News’s Jonathan Karl.
“No,” Paul responded.
Karl: “We saw Erika Kirk endorse JD Vance already for 2028…So did Marco Rubio…What do you make of this?”
Sen. Rand Paul: “I’m going to continue to try to lead a conservative, free-market wing of the party.”
Karl: “And that’s not JD Vance?”
Paul: “No.” pic.twitter.com/Azo21XhcMn
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) December 21, 2025
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