Sen. John Kennedy’s possible presidential run depends on ‘a bunch of goobers’

Louisiana’s loquacious junior U.S. senator said Sunday he will ponder a run for president depending on which of his fellow Republicans pursues the office in 2028.

Sen. John Kennedy appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” where host Kristen Welker asked him outright if he would run for president. Kennedy said his current intention is to seek re-election in two years, but he added that he would consider a presidential run if he believes he could no longer be effective in Congress.

“What’s the old Judds’ song? ‘Why not me on a rainy day? Why not me to love your blues away?’” Kennedy said.

He added that while he hasn’t made a decision on the presidential race, he will keep track of what other GOP members emerge as candidates.

“On my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run … and one of the goobers might win, and I think I can do a better job, I would consider running,” Kennedy said. “But right now, I’m running for re-election.”

Kennedy has held his U.S. Senate seat since 2017. He will become Louisiana’s senior senator once Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost the Republican primary to Congresswoman Julia Letlow in May, leaves office in January.  

When Welker asked Kennedy about the possibility of running against Vice President JD Vance, the senator declined to respond directly. 

“I’m not going to talk about another potential candidate. I’m just not there yet,” he said.

If Kennedy, who turns 75 next month, were to run for president and win, he would become the third oldest person to enter the office behind President Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Kennedy has spent the past month traveling to campaign on behalf of other Republican incumbents and candidates running for Congress. Those trips have taken him to states likely to be battlegrounds in the 2028 election, and Kennedy said he will continue to stump for the GOP on his volition.

“I’m gonna go wherever my political people tell me to go,” he said. “I have my own political operation. I don’t take orders from my leadership. I do it my way.” 

Kennedy was also asked to comment about a recent social media post from the president in which he gave out the cellphone number of U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, who voted against a measure Trump backed to eliminate daylight saving time.

“The president, as we know, can be sometimes … he exists loudly. He can be tempestuous. He can go from zero to a-hole in about 3 seconds,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number.”

Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff for President Barack Obama, appeared on “Meet the Press” before the segment with Kennedy, who predicted Emanuel will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2028. 

Emanuel, who was in Louisiana last week to learn about post-pandemic K-12 education progress, has said he is considering a run but has not taken official steps to launch a candidacy.    

“Rahm has a big brain. He has big ideas,” Kennedy told Welker. “What I appreciate about him is that while many members of his party want to sit around and debate whether a man can breastfeed, Rahm wants to talk about important things.”