From 'The Conversation': Why Sen. Rand Paul feels like GOP ‘whipping boy’

Oct 26, 2025

Sen. Rand Paul, a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and a vocal advocate for small government, discusses his frustration with Republican silence on controversial nominations, sharing insights on fiscal policies and the looming 'farmageddon.' He emphasizes the need for GOP accountability and principled stances on foreign aid. Joining him, Dr. Caitlin Jatelina, an epidemiologist and creator of Your Local Epidemiologist, tackles pandemic-driven public health mistrust, the fallout from misleading medication claims, and advocates for transparent health communications.

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INSIGHT

Conservative Voice At Risk

Rand Paul warns that GOP conservatism risks disappearing if senators become rubber stamps for the president.
He insists maintaining principles like balanced budgets and free trade is essential even while supporting Trump.

INSIGHT

Principles Shouldn't Flip With Power

Paul highlights GOP hypocrisy over emergency powers depending on which party controls the White House.
He argues true principles mean consistent opposition to executive overreach regardless of the president's party.

INSIGHT

Farm States Silenced By Fear

Farm-state senators privately support free trade but fear opposing a Republican president's tariffs.
Paul warns that fear of presidential retaliation leaves him as the lone public dissenter.

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is known for being a firebrand when it comes to his conservative, small-government principles. He’s also known for being a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, despite taking issue with some of the president’s policies.

But Paul takes issue with being what he says is the only Republican willing to stand up to Trump and his latest moves which, according to Senator Paul, fly in the face of GOP principles and campaign promises.

Most recently, he was concerned over his Republican colleagues’ hesitation to confront Trump about his now-former nominee to lead Office of the Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia. Ingrassia withdrew from the Senate confirmation process earlier this week after POLITICO’s reporting on texts that showed him making racist and antisemitic remarks.

“I hear a lot of flack from Republicans and they want me to do it. They say, ‘Oh, well, you're not afraid of the president. You go tell him his nominee can't make it,’ says Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee. “I'm just tired of always being the whipping boy.”

In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Paul joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns — just hours after he was snubbed from a presidential luncheon — to talk about this GOP fear of confronting Trump, support for House colleague Rep. Thomas Massie, the administration's latest foreign policy moves, the Epstein files and a “farmageddon” that may be on the horizon.

“If I'm given the choice of President Trump versus Harris or versus Biden, without question, I choose President Trump over and over again,” says Paul. But that doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and just say, ‘Oh, I'm leaving all my beliefs on the doorstep. I'm no longer going to be for free trade. I'm no longer going to be for balanced budgets. I'm no longer going to be opposed to killing people without trials, without naming them, without evidence.’ No, I have to remain who I am.”

Later in the show, Dasha speaks to epidemiologist and public health professor Katelyn Jetelina, the founder of the Substack “Your Local Epidemiologist." They discuss what it’s like being a health communicator in the time of MAHA and why she thinks public health is nearing ‘system collapse.’