Louisiana Senator John Kennedy cracked the door open to a 2028 presidential run on Sunday, delivering a blunt one-word answer when NBC's Kristen Welker asked him point blank on Meet the Press whether he was thinking about it. Yeah, Kennedy said, before quickly clarifying that his real plan right now is running for reelection to the Senate. Still, he didn't shut the door, adding that if he ever felt he could no longer be effective in the Senate, he would consider jumping into the presidential race instead. True to his reputation for colorful one-liners, Kennedy explained his thinking with characteristic flair, saying that if a bunch of goobers run on his side of the aisle and one of them might actually win, he believes he could do a better job himself.

Kennedy joins a growing list of Republicans and Democrats who have acknowledged weighing a 2028 run without formally jumping in, though no major candidate from either party has officially launched a campaign yet. When Welker pressed him on why GOP voters should pick him over Vice President JD Vance, widely seen as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, Kennedy sidestepped the comparison entirely, saying simply that he wasn't going to talk about another potential candidate because he's just not there yet. He added that he expects Vance to run, much like he expects Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to enter the race on the Democratic side, and said he thinks it would be healthy for both parties to field a full slate of candidates. The remarks come as President Trump has previously floated both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as possible successors, though Rubio said last month he has no plans at this time to run.