WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky certainly has his differences with President Donald Trump. They were once Republican rivals for the White House. But on a cornerstone issue — a resistance to U.S. intervention abroad — they have common ground.
Both Trump and the senator have little interest in seeing the U.S. stick to its traditional role as the world's top cop. But few others in Washington share their view. That's a key reason Paul has nurtured a close relationship with the president and defended him from criticism after the Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
And as Trump's tweets show, it's a friendship that's paying off.
Trump's public comments are echoing those of the libertarian-leaning senator who has become a confidant, a golf partner and a friend.
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