Jordan Allyn photo
U.S. Sen. Paul at Tuesday's YPU debate.
Kentucky Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul broke with Republican President Donald Trump during a Tuesday night speech at Yale — where he criticized the president’s tariffs for their “potential of destroying the American economy.”
Paul was invited by the Yale Political Union, a collegiate debate society.
His tariff opinions specifically were what drew Margaret Ifill-Krogh, New Haven resident and Elm City COMPASS board member, to the event. “With his bipartisan initiative about the tariffs, it made me very willing to come and hear what he has to say,” said Ifill-Krogh.
She arrived early to grab a seat close to the stage before a swarm of prospective students flooded the auditorium.
This final Yale Political Union (YPU) event of the school year Tuesday coincided with Yale’s “Bulldog Days” — a 3‑day orientation for 1,200 admitted high school seniors to visit campus. Most of the 365 seats in the Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall auditorium were filled.
In his speech, Paul highlighted his support of limited government intervention and his opposition to Trump’s tariffs. He received loud praise from the audience after quoting the French Liberal economist Frédéric Bastiat: “If goods don’t cross borders, armies will.”
He said the U.S. should almost never go to war and advocated for more checks and balances on presidential power. “This is about being consistent whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat. I opposed emergency powers under Biden, and I oppose emergency powers under Trump,” he said.
The libertarian senator is one of the few vocal opponents of Trump’s tariffs within the GOP. “I will continue to oppose tariffs because they have the potential of destroying the American economy,” said Paul.
Susie Coakley, a prospective admitted student, found out about the event from the Bulldog Days schedule. “I’m just really passionate about politics and I want to hear from people from both sides of the spectrum and their thoughts on some of the biggest issues right now,” said Coakley.
YPU President Leo Greenberg echoed this sentiment in his introductory remarks. “We embrace a whole range of ideas. Unpopular and controversial ideas are not just welcome in the YPU, they are encouraged,” he said. This year, the organization hosted Al Sharpton, Theresa May, Cornel West, and Marianne Williamson.
Greenberg ended his introduction by saying, “Take conservative ideas seriously. You won’t run into them everywhere on this campus, but they govern our country and the rest of the West. So even for the progressives in the room, you cannot change what you don’t understand.”
Jin Chung, a Yale College sophomore and member of YPU’s Progressive party, agreed with Paul’s views on tariffs and commended him for speaking out against the Republican Party line. Chung, however, disagreed and questioned Paul’s perspective on keeping government small, given the senator’s anti-abortion stance.
Overall, Chung viewed the event as exemplary of YPU’s mission. “I think that having a space for expression and the transmission of ideas is really important,” said Chung.
At one point during his speech, Paul laughed while saying, “If you want bipartisanship from me you’ll get it. I have bipartisan disdain for a lot of people in both parties.”