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"I jokingly said we're going to turn the Lincoln bedroom into a surgery suite," he told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."

The Kentucky senator recently came back from a mission trip to Haiti with the University of Utah, where he said the group performed 200 cataract surgeries, adding that he hopes his next mission trip will be performing surgeries on Indian reservations next year.

Paul said he still practices medicine in Kentucky for people who don't have money or insurance.

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"You think politics could be frustrating sometimes, you're absolutely right," he said. "But in medicine the amazing thing is we all unify around a goal, someone is blind, we remove the cataract and they can see again. There's probably nothing more rewarding than seeing that smile."

The presidential candidate also shared his opinion on gun control, with the debate renewed after two journalists were killed on live television Wednesday morning.

He said that typically people who commit these violent crimes don't "obey laws to begin with," adding that guns aren't the only weapons people use to kill other people.

"People kill people with a variety of different means," he said. "I don't think removing guns or even placing more obstacles in front of law abiding citizens works."

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In the latest Quinnipiac survey released Thursday, Paul had 2% national support and was in 11th place out of the 17 declared Republican candidates.

He said that despite the polling, he has faith in his campaign and shared some of his presidential platform, saying that if he's president, he will create a single tax rate for all Americans. He said he believes government should be smaller and that Americans need more "personal freedom."

"One of the interesting things is that I hear these polls and I wonder about them the same as everybody else does but I've been traveling throughout the West and we get 500 to 1,000 people at every speech. Our crowds are bigger than they've ever been," he said. "So if I weren't readying any of this or seeing these polls, I would think we're doing better than we ever have."

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Rand Paul will continue eye surgery if president, he says ...

Rand Paul's political life

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul delivers remarks while announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination during an event in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday, April 7.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul and his wife, Kelley, wave to supporters in Louisville on April 7.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul speaks in Rochester, New Hampshire, prior to meeting potential voters in March.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul walks on stage before speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington in September.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Syria in September.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul speaks at a news conference in June about the U.S. role in Syria.

Rand Paul's political life

Speaking at the University of California at Berkeley in March 2014, Paul speaks on the issues of privacy and curtailing domestic surveillance.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul addresses the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference, where he easily won the presidential straw poll.

Rand Paul's political life

From left, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Paul attend a March 2014 news conference to announce a new medical marijuana bill at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Rand Paul's political life

In February 2014, Paul announced that he was suing President Barack Obama and top national security officials over the government's electronic surveillance program made public by intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul leaves the Capitol in March 2013 after staging a filibuster over the nomination of CIA Director John Brennan.

Rand Paul's political life

Ethics laws prevent senators from accepting payment for any job other that their duties in Washington. So Paul, a veteran eye surgeon, performs pro-bono procedures to keep current on his practice.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul speaks in Bowie, Maryland, in March 2013 during a discussion on reforming the criminal justice system.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul and his father speak with supporters in Ames, Iowa, before the start of a 2012 presidential campaign event.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul boards an elevator after attending a Republican caucus meeting in Washington in July 2011.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul unveils his own version of the federal budget during a news conference in March 2011.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul speaks to hometown supporters in Bowling Green, Kentucky, during his campaign for the Senate in November 2010.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul and his family celebrate his 2010 Senate victory during an election night party in Bowling Green.

Rand Paul's political life

Coming from his son's soccer game, Paul wears shorts and a suit jacket while preparing for his guest spot on a Fox News television program in May 2010.

Rand Paul's political life

Paul waits to tour a mine in Pineville, Kentucky, in May 2010.

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Rand Paul scrounges delegates in Alaska - CNNPolitics.com

Story highlights Paul's campaign wants to encourage college students to launch chapters for supporters on 300 college campuses in the next 30 days Paul's campaign said his emphasis on certain issues has helped make him popular with younger voters

With Back to School season around the corner, Paul's campaign is launching an initiative called "300 in 30." The goal: to encourage college students to launch chapters for Paul supporters on 300 college campuses in the next 30 days. They have produced a video the campaign says is ready-made for college-age supporters to share with their friends and classmates.

"I am thrilled to be launching our Students for Rand initiative," the senator said in a statement. "We have a robust goal, 300 student chapters across the nation in the next 30 days, and are uniquely positioned to appeal to young voters, which we will heavily engage over the next few months. No candidate will do more to earn support from students than our campaign."

Paul's campaign said his emphasis on issues like protecting privacy, curtailing government surveillance and criminal justice has helped make him popular with younger voters. He has been building an audience on Snapchat, the social media message app popular with young people, for more than a year and talked drones and Hillary Clinton in an interview with CNN on the app in January.

Drumming up the support of college students could make an impact in early voting states like Iowa, which boasts more than 130,000 students at four-year colleges alone, according to the 2013 Iowa College and University Enrollment Report. Iowa makes it easy for such students, and all voters, to cast a ballot: One can register and vote on the same day, which will allow people to make a last-minute decision to participate in the state's first in the nation caucus early next year.

Rising University of Iowa senior Alexander Staudt, who will serve as president of Students for Rand Paul when he heads back to school in a few days, said he expects the group to be the largest 2016 student organization on campus this year.

"Rand seems like the only genuine candidate in the race," Staudt told CNN via email. "He excites and relates to the younger vote on issues they care about. He stands on campuses and talks about criminal justice reform and keeping the government out of our damn phone records."

Staudt, whose contact information was provided by the campaign, said he plans to be the precinct chair for the caucuses this February.

The Kentucky senator, a libertarian, has slipped in some recent polls compared to several months ago, polling in the mid-to-low single digits both nationally and in some of the early states. The most recent CNN/ORC poll of Iowa voters, released Wednesday, shows Paul has the support of just 5% of likely Iowa caucus-goers, and in the most recent nationwide CNN/ORC poll taken last month, he had the support of 6% of registered voters.

Meanwhile, the latest Suffolk University poll shows the senator tied with several candidates at just 2% in Iowa, while a Boston Herald/Franklin Pierce University poll shows him at 6% in New Hampshire. Both polls were released Tuesday.

Excerpt from:
Rand Paul aims to woo college students - CNNPolitics.com

Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul looks at Donald Trump's past comments on Democrats in his latest ad, which he posted on YouTube. (Rand Paul)

UPDATE: At 6:50 p.m., Donald Trump sent The Washington Post a lengthy response to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's ad. Here it is, in full.

Rand Paul is doing so poorly in the polls he has to revert to old footage of me discussing positions I no longer hold. As a world-class businessman, who built one of the great companies with some of the most iconic real estate assets in the world, it was my obligation to my family, my company, my employees and myself to maintain a strong relationship with all politicians whether Republican or Democrat. I did that and I did that well.

Unless you are a piece of unyielding granite, over the years positions evolve as they have in my case. Ronald Reagan, as an example, was a Democrat with a liberal bent who became a conservative Republican.

Recently, Rand Paul called me and asked me to play golf. I easily beat him on the golf course and will even more easily beat him now, in the world in the politics.

Senator Paul does not mention that after trouncing him in golf I made a significant donation to the eye center with which he is affiliated.

I feel sorry for the great people of Kentucky who are being used as a back up to Senator Pauls hopeless attempt to become President of the United States--- weak on the military, Israel, the Vets and many other issues. Senator Paul has no chance of wining the nomination and the people of Kentucky should not allow him the privilege of remaining their Senator. Rand should save his lobbyists and special interest money and just go quietly home.

Rands campaign is a total mess, and as a matter of fact, I didnt know he had anybody left in his campaign to make commercials who are not currently under indictment!

At 7:32 p.m., Paul campaign strategist Doug Stafford sent this response.

Wow, that took a while to read.

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Donald Trump mocks Rand Paul, calls on him to quit ...

Sen. Rand Pauls presidential campaign limped into August under the weight of poor fundraising and sapped staff morale.

Then the indictments last week of two longtime Paul advisers sent shock waves through the Kentucky Republicans orbit.

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And, last Thursday, Paul was widely seen as falling short in the first GOP presidential debate before a huge television audience.

Now the bad news: Pauls woeful month could get even worse.

Paul has been furiously lobbying Kentucky Republican leaders ahead of an Aug. 22 decision to rewrite party rules so he can run for president and reelection to his Senate seat simultaneously, a hedge to hold onto power should his Oval Office aspirations falter. Running for the two offices at once creates tricky legal hurdles that are surmountable only with the assent of the Kentucky Republican Partys leadership and central committee.

Though that approval once seemed assured, several members of the party executive committee told POLITICO theyre seeing increasing trepidation, in part because of Pauls perceived fade from contention but also because he hasnt yet fulfilled promises to cover the cost of any changes.

I think its fair to say that among members of this committee that theyre always aware of the financial impact of anything new on the organization that they serve, said state GOP chairman Steve Robertson. I think its pretty fair to say that members of the committee think this thing could be anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000. Thats obviously something that weighs appropriately on the minds of the folks on the committee.

Others were blunter.

There should be no direct cost to the party, said Scott Lasley, a state executive committee member who chaired the party committee that drafted the plan Paul favors. If the money is not there then I think all bets are off.

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Rand Paul 2016: Senator faces emerging doubts at home ...