Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana discussed his potential run for president in 2028 during an interview with NBC’s "Meet the Press." He mentioned he would consider running if he feels others from his party are not capable candidates. Kennedy also criticized President Trump's handling of Sen. Tom Cotton, who opposed a bill to make daylight savings time permanent, and defended Cotton against Trump's public rebuke.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Sen. John Kennedy, 74, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he is considering a run for president in 2028 if he feels others running on his side of the aisle are ineffective or unworthy ("goobers"). He stated, "My plans right now are to run for re-election, but if I don’t think I can be effective in the Senate anymore, I would consider it." Kennedy did not comment directly when asked about competing against Vice President JD Vance. Currently focused on his re-election bid, Kennedy's potential presidential campaign remains undecided as of yet.
Written for “John Kennedy Considers Presidential Run” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 56360: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-05
Verbal sharpshooter Sen. John Kennedy kept the door open to a 2028 presidential run and defended Sen. Tom Cotton from President Trump’s wrath over his blocking of the Sunshine Protection Act.
asserted
Kennedy → keep → Act
“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,” the 74-year-old told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
asserted
old → run → Sunday
“I haven’t made a decision.
asserted
I → make → 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.”
uncertain
I → run → job
The Louisiana soundbite whiz, who has a knack for going viral with his one-liners and thick southern drawl, is up for re-election in 2028.
asserted
who → have → 2028
His colleague, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), was taken down in a primary earlier this year after Trump pushed for Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) to oust him.
But that hasn’t deterred Kennedy (R-La.) from raising questions about the president or his administration.
asserted
that → take → president
Kennedy’s questioning of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem over publicly funded ads notably came right before her firing.
asserted
questioning → fund → firing
On Sunday, he bashed Trump’s public admonishment of Cotton.
asserted
he → bash → Cotton
Trump released Cotton’s personal cellphone number in a fierce rebuke of the Arkansas senator for opposing a bill to make daylight savings permanent.
asserted
savings → release → bill
“Every now and then, there are disputes in Congress that have existential significance for the future of Western civilization.
asserted
that → be → civilization
Daylight Savings Time is not one of them,” Kennedy said.
asserted
Kennedy → say → them
“Tom Cotton feels strongly about it.
asserted
Cotton → feel → it
“The president, as we know, can be sometimes — he, he exists loudly,” he added bluntly.
asserted
he → know → ?
He can go from zero to a-hole in about three seconds.”
asserted
He → go → seconds
“I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number.”
asserted
he → think → number
Cotton, who chairs the Senate Republican Conference, is up for reelection on Nov. 3.
asserted
who → chair → Nov.
Like Cotton, Kennedy is working on trying to boost Republicans in tough Senate races.
asserted
Kennedy → work → races
The Louisianan said he has plans to stump in Texas, Michigan, and Ohio.
asserted
he → say → Texas
Kennedy described the Texas race as an “unpopularity contest” between Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico.
asserted
Kennedy → describe → Paxton
“I think ultimately Mr. Paxton will win because I think Texas is a Republican state, but I think it’s gonna be very, very close,” he said.
asserted
he → think → ?
Broadly speaking, Kennedy suggested the outlook may not be as gloomy for Republicans as the pundits make it out to be.
uncertain
it → speak → Republicans
“I will bet you a soda and a nice hat that the experts are wrong.
asserted
experts → bet → soda
I will think – I do think it will be close.
asserted
it → think → ?
I think the biggest issue is cost of living,” he said.
asserted
he → think → living
“Some of that is our fault,” he acknowledged about affordability concerns.
asserted
he → acknowledge → concerns
“We should have done more, but we’ve done a lot, and I’ve been out on the campaign trail talking about it.”
asserted
I → do → it
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