In a striking public break from growing momentum within his own party, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has explicitly declined to endorse Vice President JD Vance as the presumed Republican successor for the 2028 presidential election.
A Clear Rejection on National Television
The moment of political candor occurred during an interview on ABC's "This Week" with journalist Jonathan Karl on Sunday, December 21, 2025. Karl pointed out that influential figures like Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have already thrown their support behind Vance, who polls favorably as a potential successor to President Donald Trump.
When Karl directly asked, "Is JD Vance the heir-apparent here?" Paul initially critiqued the administration's trade policies before being pressed for a definitive answer. "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 stated, framing his ideological stance.
The Core Ideological Divide
Paul elaborated on his vision for the party, drawing a sharp contrast with the pro-tariff stance embraced by Trump and Vance. He argued that traditional conservatism was defined by a desire for less government spending, not more tax revenue. "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," Paul said. "That has never been a conservative position."
He pledged to continue leading what he called the "conservative free-market wing" of the GOP. When Karl followed up by asking, "And that's not JD Vance?" Paul hesitated briefly before delivering a simple, firm answer: "No."
Broader Policy Disagreements Beyond Trade
This rejection is not an isolated incident. Senator Paul has publicly opposed the Trump-Vance administration on several other fronts in recent months. His key areas of disagreement include:
- The legally questionable maritime strikes against suspected drug smugglers.
- The administration's attacks on six Congressional Democrats who created a video reminding service members of their right to reject unlawful orders.
- The presidential pardon granted to convicted drug trafficker and former Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernández.
These stances, combined with his firm free-market rebuke of Vance, signal a deliberate effort by Paul to position himself and his ideological allies as a distinct faction within the Republican Party's future.
As the 2028 election cycle begins to take shape, this clash highlights a fundamental debate over the soul of the GOP: will it embrace economic nationalism and tariffs, or return to its roots of free trade and limited government? For Rand Paul, the answer is clear, and it does not include JD Vance as the standard-bearer.
