Rand Paul’s Ten Minutes

Rand Paul on Trump striking a Venezuelan boat and killing 11 people: "You might ask the question, where does it end? Are we the world's policemen? Are we gonna be blowing people up off the coast all around the world? ... is it really the constitutional duty of our government?" pic.twitter.com/nou7qDSybN

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 3, 2025

I remember Charlie Pierce used to say Rand Paul, like his father, could make sense for about ten minutes, and then the trolley would leave the track.

Rand Paul: "The reason we have trials and we don't automatically assume guilt is what if we make a mistake and they happen to be people fleeing the Venezuelan dictator? ... off our coast it isn't our policy just to blow people up ... even the worst people in our country, if we… pic.twitter.com/UpKVFAy5XU

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 3, 2025

Rand Paul: "The reason we have trials and we don't automatically assume guilt is what if we make a mistake and they happen to be people fleeing the Venezuelan dictator? ... off our coast it isn't our policy just to blow people up ... even the worst people in our country, if we accuse somebody of a terrible crime, they still get a trial."

Not if Stephen Miller Trump can help it.

Rand Paul: "It might be ironic if in the end the protectionist flavor of the day -- the tariffs we're putting on -- if it brought together our enemies and ultimately led to the collapse of the reserve currency of the world ... if you put a 50% tariff on Indian goods, India will… pic.twitter.com/tdJAgoqGVv

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 3, 2025

Rand Paul: "It might be ironic if in the end the protectionist flavor of the day -- the tariffs we're putting on -- if it brought together our enemies and ultimately led to the collapse of the reserve currency of the world ... if you put a 50% tariff on Indian goods, India will become closer to China and Russia"

It would be even more ironic if he’d say this on the Senate floor. Don’t you think? A little too ironic…. Compare and contrast:

Q: On the Venezuela vessel strike, what legal authority were you guys working under?

JD VANCE: The legal authority is there are people who are bringing -- literal terrorists -- who are bringing deadly drugs into our country pic.twitter.com/6UK16rP6SZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 3, 2025

So they were coming from Venezuela to California in that boat? And the proper call was not to intercept them, but to obliterate them? Because we’re the United States, that’s why

I really hate when Rand Paul makes VP Vance look like the flaming Nazi gasbag he is. O, the humanities!