Why Senator Rand Paul Voted to Limit Donald Trump’s War Powers
From The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker
April 27, 2026 · 29 min
About this episode
Rand Paul discusses his opposition to Donald Trump's war powers and his political stance.
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 The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the…
People in this episode
Host: David Remnick
Guest: Rand Paul
Topics covered
- war powers
- politics
- libertarianism
- Trump criticism
- Iran conflict
- 2028 presidential run
Keywords
- Rand Paul
- Donald Trump
- war powers
- Iran
- libertarian
- politics
- 2028 election
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The New Yorker
Books & works: The End of Limits on a President’s Wars, Why Rand Paul Ran Aground
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