Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Thursday morning it is a mistake for President Donald Trump to publicly attack him for voicing differences on public policy.
In an interview with Kentucky Public Radio, Paul referenced Trump rescinding his invitation to a White House picnic held annually for members of Congress and their families.
“I think it's a mistake on their part to single out and isolate and try to blackball me or others,” Paul said.
The president harshly criticized Paul in social media posts last week over the senator’s criticism of Trump’s reconciliation bill — which he dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” — that will significantly cut taxes and institute major policy changes. The House passed it in May with the support of all but two Republicans, but Paul has said he can’t support it because it doesn’t cut enough and will balloon the national debt.
"Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas,” Trump wrote in a June 3 post. “His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him. This is a BIG GROWTH BILL!"
Paul said Thursday he has been a big supporter of the president on many things, including most of his cabinet picks and his peace negotiations with other countries.
“Human nature being human nature, it probably doesn't make me as vocal a supporter of the administration if they continue to attack me,” Paul said. “So I think it's a big logistical mistake on their part.”
The senator noted that he was a loud critic of former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, yet they would still invite his family to the picnics and greet him warmly.
“When I was at the congressional picnic, (Obama) would walk over and shake my hand,” Paul said. “So I think that's a better way to approach policy differences. But if the scorched earth is going to continue, it's not going to deter me. But I think it puts the administration in a bad light.”
An hour after the interview, Trump made a new post saying that Paul is welcome to attend the picnic.
“Of course Senator Rand Paul and his beautiful wife and family are invited to the BIG White House Party tonight,” Trump wrote. “He’s the toughest vote in the history of the U.S. Senate, but why wouldn’t he be? Besides, it gives me more time to get his Vote on the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Paul repeated his criticism of the reconciliation bill, saying it would lift the nation’s debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
“It would be an historic increase in the debt ceiling,” Paul said. “And I think that in doing that, we lose any credibility as a party that criticizes accumulation of debt, if we're the ones voting to expand it.”
Paul at odds with Trump on military parade
On Saturday, Trump’s birthday, the Army will conduct a military parade featuring dozens of tanks and heavy artillery from the National Mall to the White House, at the president’s request.
Paul previously compared military parades to something you’d see in North Korea or the Soviet Union with “goose-stepping soldiers,” but not America.
“The image of military parades is really an image that's foreign to our heritage,” Paul said Thursday. “We've never really done that, where we put the tanks down the street and put the missiles down the street.”
The Army said the cost of the parade could reach $45 million, spending the senator criticized at a time “when we're $2 trillion in the hole.”
“They put up 18 miles of fencing (for the parade).” Paul said. “They could have spent some time maybe on fencing on the southern border instead of putting up fencing in DC. So, I'm just not a big fan of it.”
Paul had questions, but was not as critical, about Trump’s move to deploy 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to deal with immigration protests in Los Angeles, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat.
The senator said local law enforcement usually are better equipped to deal with crime and protests.
“The police are trained in the Fourth Amendment,” Paul said. “They don't go in your house, or they're not supposed to, without a warrant. They know what the Fourth Amendment is. Most people in the Army aren't trained in the Fourth Amendment.”
However, Paul said it is a problem that the mayor and governor are “basically saying that we will resist federal law,” adding that “we've agreed that there's a supremacy to federal law” since the Civil Rights era.
“We agreed that, against the governor's wishes, federal troops went into Arkansas to allow integration of the schools,” Paul said. “And so there have been many times where we've allowed this. It still isn't my preference to go in, but there are times when it has been necessary.”
Paul running for reelection, wants GOP to abandon ‘populism’
Paul said he is running for reelection in 2028, but still wants “to be involved in the national conversation” of where the Republican Party goes in the presidential election that year.
“I want the party to go back more towards its free market, pro-capitalist roots, and away from the populism,” Paul said. “I fear that the populism is leading to things that are not good for our country — reducing trade, fear of foreigners, not wanting foreigners to be involved, or in foreign investment to come into our country. I think all those things are bad.”
He added that he wants the party to resist the federal government instituting tariffs, blocking company mergers and micromanaging what social media sites can do.
“There's thousands of places to get yourself heard these days,” Paul said. “I'm not a fan of the right wing telling social media they have to post our opinions.”
Paul says he intends, at least for now, to not make an endorsement in Kentucky’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate, which takes place next May. Congressman Andy Barr and former Attorney General Daniel Cameron have both entered the race and have been lavish in their praise of Trump and his policies, in a state where the president has won three times by blowout margins.
“I'd like to see more of what their positions are on foreign policy, on debt, on how they vote on these various bills, how they would have voted on these various bills,” Paul said. “Because, frankly, I haven't made up my mind who I would vote for yet.”
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
