Why Senator Rand Paul Voted to Limit Donald Trump’s War Powers
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 27 April 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
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Summary
One of Donald Trump’s few critics within his party is the libertarian-leaning senator Rand Paul, from Kentucky. Paul was recently the sole Republican to vote in favor of restricting the President’s power to make war in Iran. He also opposed Trump on tariff policy, and on his budget bill in 2025. “He loves voting ‘NO’ on everything,” the President fumed. Paul ran for President in 2016, and is considering another run for the White House in 2028. He talks with David Remnick about how he would differentiate himself from J. D. Vance and Marco Rubio; about his opposition to the attack on Iran; and about Pete Hegseth invoking Christianity in the war. “People quoting the Old Testament about smiting the enemy” concerns Paul greatly: “If this becomes Christians versus Muslims, I don’t see a quick end to a war.”
Further reading:
- “The End of Limits on a President’s Wars,” by Ruth Marcus
- “Why Rand Paul Ran Aground,” by Kelefa Sanneh
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to the political scene. |
| 0:07.5 | I'm David Remnick. |
| 0:08.8 | Early each week, we bring you a conversation from our episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour. |
| 0:15.7 | The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC and The New Yorker. |
| 0:22.4 | Welcome to The New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. |
| 0:26.5 | There was a time when libertarians in politics seemed extreme somehow. |
| 0:31.4 | Their concerns esoteric. |
| 0:33.9 | The core libertarian principle of a small, even minimal government aligned with the Republican platform, but just to a degree. |
| 0:42.1 | At the same time, libertarians have often taken a very distinct approach on civil liberties and many other social issues. |
| 0:50.0 | But as Donald Trump tries to impose a more and more authoritarian style of government, |
| 0:55.8 | one of the most consistent critics within his party has been Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning |
| 1:00.8 | senator from the state of Kentucky. |
| 1:03.5 | Senator Paul was the sole Republican to vote in favor of restricting Trump's power to prosecute |
| 1:09.8 | war in Iran. |
| 1:11.2 | One of the few remaining deficit hawks, |
| 1:14.2 | he's bucked Donald Trump's priorities on tariffs, |
| 1:16.9 | funding the Iran war and the ballooning budget for ICE. |
| 1:21.3 | During a fight over the tax bill last year, |
| 1:24.1 | Trump said Rand Paul, quote, |
| 1:26.2 | loves voting no on everything, unquote. |
| 1:29.5 | He's called him a sick wacko. |
| 1:32.6 | Rand Paul ran for president in 2016, and he may well be a contender in 2028. |
... |
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