Rand Paul Tells CBS He’s Eyeing a Presidential Run — Claims Some Republicans Don’t Want Party ‘Led by Populism’

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told CBS News he’s considering a run for president in 2028, explaining how there could be a path for a new direction in the Republican Party.

Paul sat down with Robert Costa for an interview set to premiere Sunday. In a preview of that interview posted Friday, Paul detailed how a hypothetical run for president would play out. He explained:

There used to really be a free market/Libertarian wing of the party, and now there’s not much left. In fact, on many days it’s me in the Senate, the only one left for free trade. 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.

Costa followed up, citing a Washington Examiner report that stated Paul “sounds like he’s running for president.” The senator admitted that it wasn’t entirely untrue.

“Yeah, I don’t know yet, so maybe they know something,” Paul joked. “I don’t know. We’re thinking about it, and I would say 50-50. We’ll make a decision after the election.”

Paul ran for president ahead of the 2016 election, officially announcing his candidacy in April 2015. He dropped out in February 2016 after a poor showing in the Iowa caucus.

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