Rand Paul admits he’s considering 2028 presidential run, says GOP shouldn’t be 'led by populism'

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Rand Paul is once again flirting with a White House bid.

In a sit-down with CBS News’ Robert Costa, which aired on Sunday, March 29, the Kentucky Republican said he’s seriously weighing a run in 2028, suggesting there’s room for a different kind of GOP candidate.

Rand Paul says he is still 'thinking about' 2028 White House run

Paul didn’t exactly slam the door shut when pressed on whether he’s actually gearing up for a campaign. Costa cited a Washington Examiner article that said Paul “sounds like he’s running for president.”

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

Long branded as one of the Senate’s last true libertarian holdouts, Paul painted a rather bleak picture of where his wing of the Republican Party stands today.

"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,” he expressed.

Still, Paul is not ready to write off the ideology just yet.

"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,” he said. 

Rand Paul's complicated track record

Of course, this isn’t Paul’s first rodeo. He launched a presidential campaign ahead of the 2016 election, only to bow out after finishing fifth in the Iowa caucuses with just 4.5% of the vote.

Since then, he’s carved out a reputation as a frequent Republican dissenter, particularly when it comes to President Donald Trump. 

Paul has sparred with Trump on everything from tariff policy to foreign interventions, including airstrikes on suspected drug boats, a military raid in Venezuela that captured Nicolas Maduro, and even talk of seizing Greenland.

He also broke ranks with his Republican colleagues on major votes, opposing Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill" and standing as the lone GOP “no” on ending a 43-day government shutdown.

More recently, Paul sided with Democrats on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s military actions against Iran.

The Kentucky politician also drew a line in the sand when it came to appointing new personnel, refusing to back the president's pick for Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin after the two clashed during the confirmation process. Mullin was ultimately confirmed by the Senate anyway.

What's more? Paul has already said he wouldn’t support Vice President JD Vance in a presidential matchup. This is despite Vance being widely seen as a top contender for 2028, alongside names like Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis, and Greg Abbott.