Rand Paul: Congress is 'Afraid of the President'

Today's guest is Sen. Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican from Kentucky. He talks about why he cosponsored legislation to release all of the Epstein files, how Trump's tariffs and bombing of Venezuelan boats are bad policy and unconstitutional, and why fellow Republicans like Vice President J.D. Vance are Luddites and nostalgia merchants who want to regulate free markets to death.

Paul, the subject of a 2014 New York Times Magazine article titled "Has the 'Libertarian Moment' Finally Arrived?", also talks with Nick Gillespie about his plans for a 2028 presidential run, the enduring antiwar legacy of his father Ron Paul, and why he believes that he and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are the only members of Congress who have stayed true to the Tea Party's commitment to lower spending and smaller government.

https://reason.com/podcast/2025/11/20/rand-paul-congress-is-afraid-of-the-president/
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0:00–Releasing the Epstein files
2:32–Tariffs and protectionist propaganda
6:29–The economic policies of the GOP
11:32–Military strikes on Venezuela
13:27–Foreign intervention
15:16–Military aid and arms deals
19:38–Congressional spending and the debt
22:04–Federal hemp ban
23:30–What’s happened to the Tea Party?
26:00–Will Senator Paul run for president again?

Producer: Paul Alexander
Audio Mixer: Cody Huff
Illustration: Eddie Marshall