Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explained that former President Donald Trump still has a number of requirements to meet to win his endorsement, which could still happen with the Republican National Convention coming up.
Paul is one of several Republicans who are withholding their full backing of Trump, even though he is the presumptive presidential nominee and the Republican National Convention will begin in under two weeks. The Kentucky senator explained that the former president needs to address the growing national debt, noting how about $8 trillion was added during Trump’s administration and another roughly $8 trillion is set to be added by the end of President Joe Biden’s administration.
“I’m a deficit hawk,” Paul said on Fox and Friends. “I ran for Congress because we have so much debt added, and so we have to do a better job on draining the swamp. The FDA under Trump with Scott Gottlieb, he went right out the revolving door back over to Pfizer and then began suppressing speech on Twitter. So there are some things I would like help with the COVID investigation, and if Donald Trump is willing to say ‘when I am elected, I’m going to release all of the information for the presidency for my investigation,’ that would go a long way towards getting me.”
Paul did commend the former president for his ability to “project strength” in his leadership, something he argued few other leaders are able to do. He added that this allows Trump to give measured responses to global conflicts and compared this to how Biden “projects weakness” and reacts hastily with military action.
The Kentucky senator’s comments on Biden’s leadership come as the president’s ability to serve has received increased scrutiny following the presidential debate. Many on both sides of the aisle said Biden did not perform strongly against Trump, with the former president himself stating after the debate that the November election is a choice between “STRENGTH or WEAKNESS.”
Besides Paul, another notable Republican withholding his endorsement of Trump is former Vice President Mike Pence, who argued the former president is “walking away” from traditional conservative policies. He clarified, however, that he would not be voting for Biden this November.
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Pence refused to endorse Trump even though he ran for president in the 2024 Republican primary, appearing in two debates before dropping out in October 2023. The Republican National Committee requires candidates to pledge their support to the eventual GOP nominee if they want to partake in the primary debates.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who also ran in the 2024 Republican primary, has said he will not vote for Trump “under any circumstances.” Christie ran as the most vocal critic of the former president out of all the Republican candidates.