Sen. John Kennedy Open to 2028 Presidential Bid, Criticizes Trump's Actions
The Louisiana senator stated he would consider a presidential run if the Republican field is weak, while also condemning Donald Trump's decision to release Sen. Tom Cotton's phone number.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., has indicated he would consider a presidential run in 2028, depending on the strength of the Republican field.
"My plans right now are to run for re-election, but as I’ve said before, if I don’t think I can be effective in the Senate anymore, I would consider it," Kennedy told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "I haven’t made a decision. If a bunch of, on my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run, and I think they’re goobers, and one of the goobers might win, and I think I could do a better job, I would consider running."
Kennedy, who is up for re-election in 2028, also addressed former President Donald Trump's public rebuke of Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Trump released Cotton's personal cellphone number in retaliation for Cotton blocking the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent.
"Every now and then, there are disputes in Congress that have existential significance for the future of Western civilization. Daylight Savings Time is not one of them," Kennedy said. "Tom Cotton feels strongly about it. Tom is a rock star senator."
He added, "The president, as we know, can be sometimes — he, he exists loudly. He can be tempestuous. He can go from zero to a-hole in about three seconds." Kennedy concluded, "I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number."
Cotton, who chairs the Senate Republican Conference, faces re-election on November 3rd.
Kennedy also shared his perspective on upcoming Senate races, noting his plans to campaign in Texas, Michigan, and Ohio. He described the Texas race between Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico as an "unpopularity contest," predicting Paxton's win due to Texas being a Republican state, but anticipating a close contest.
Broadly, Kennedy suggested that the Republican outlook might be more favorable than some analysts predict. "I will bet you a soda and a nice hat that the experts are wrong. I will think – I do think it will be close. I think the biggest issue is cost of living," he stated. Acknowledging some Republican culpability in affordability concerns, he added, "Some of that is our fault. We should have done more, but we’ve done a lot, and I’ve been out on the campaign trail talking about it."