Rand Paul remains oddly calm for a senator who just got snubbed from a White House lunch. But he has the relief of finally saying what everyone in his party whispers behind closed doors: The GOP is terrified of Donald Trump, and cowardice has replaced conviction.
The Kentucky senator is often seen as the libertarian conscience of the Republican Party. In a candid conversation with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns, Paul tore into his colleagues for their “rubber-stamp” obedience to Trump. Speaking just hours after being left off the guest list for Trump’s Rose Garden luncheon, he called out the quiet fear running through the GOP ranks.
“There are probably eight farm states, maybe 10 farm states,” Paul said. “That means there are 20 senators who have always believed in free trade, and they’re all grumbling… but they don’t have the guts because it’s their president and frankly, they’re afraid. They’re afraid that he will do to them what he’s trying to do to me,” he opened up.
Paul, while still endorsing Trump, has never been shy about calling him out. He said he worries about the “demise of a conservative voice” within his party. “If I’m given the choice of President Trump versus Harris or versus Biden, without question, I choose President Trump over and over again,” he clarified. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit back and just say, ‘Oh, I’m leaving all my beliefs on the doorstep,’ the senator added.
In recent months, Trump has openly targeted dissenting Republicans, including Paul’s Kentucky ally, Rep. Thomas Massie, for daring to challenge his policies. Paul’s absence from the high-profile luncheon confirmed that loyalty to the leader outweighs loyalty to the nation in the GOP. Despite that, he’s happy “to be the skunk at the party.” Or, he said, “the skunk that wasn’t invited to the party.”
While Rand Paul admits he’s “tired of always being the whipping boy” (via Politico), he also takes his ability to go against Trump as “a badge of courage.” From warning of “Farmageddon” caused by Trump’s trade wars with China to pushing for the declassification of Epstein files, Paul has carved a rare path for himself. He is critical but not disloyal, conservative but still constitutionalist. Sadly, it’s a lonely road. “It’d be easier on me if I weren’t the only target,” he admitted. “If there were other people willing to stand up and oppose bad policy.”
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