Among the handful of congressional Republicans willing to speak out against President Donald Trump, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) stands out.
Unlike the others, Paul isn’t a moderate. His criticisms of Trump aren’t rooted in an inherent skepticism of the president. Paul isn’t swayed by pressure from party leaders or or even Trump himself. And he’s largely immune from the political backlash that befalls Republicans who buck Trump.
During the first three months of Trump’s presidency, more than perhaps any point in Paul’s 14-year Senate career, the factors that make the Kentucky Republican so unique are converging.
Paul has been the most prominent GOP critic of Trump’s tariff regime, even leading a successful effort in the Senate to overturn Trump’s previous tariffs. The measure isn’t going anywhere in the House. That’s because, as Paul put it, his party is caving under pressure from Trump.
“I’m actually shocked there’s not more people in my caucus [speaking out],” Paul told us. “Some of them have in the past talked about emergencies and the need to reform emergencies. I don’t understand why they would allow the government to be ruled by emergency.”
It’s not just tariffs and executive power. Paul is a hard “no” on reconciliation as long as it includes an increase of the nation’s debt limit, a chief Trump ask. His opposition reduces Senate GOP leaders’ already slim margin.
Paul also voted against two of Trump’s Cabinet nominees — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — and wasn’t quiet about it. Even on DOGE’s spending cuts, Paul is raising alarm about the legality of such moves without congressional approval.
Unmoved: Paul’s stubbornness is a defining trait — one that has made him an outcast, not just within the GOP Conference but in the Senate as a whole. So don’t expect Paul to back down, especially when it comes to tariffs.
“I just do what I think is right as far as the wellbeing of the country, the wellbeing of people’s retirement accounts,” Paul said. “And I’ll continue to do that.”
Paul’s fellow Republicans often laud him for his consistency, especially on tariffs. But they’re not afraid to tell reporters what they really think of Paul’s posture.
“He’s a total free-trader. He loves a global economy,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), whose populist bona fides are often in conflict with Paul’s views. “Any time you start talking about reindustrialization or blue-collar jobs, his eyes just glaze over. Believe me, he’s only said in public one-one thousandth of what’s said to us.”
Despite Trump’s 90-day pause on his most recent across-the-board tariffs (except China), Paul still wants to force a vote on overturning the emergency declaration Trump triggered to impose them.
It’s another example of how pressure campaigns — including from Trump on Truth Social — don’t work on Paul.
“We all worry about our electoral [standing], but he’s just a person that, once he makes up his mind, he doesn’t go backwards,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Paul’s partner on the successful effort to overturn Trump’s earlier tariffs.
