Rand Paul: I'd Like to Keep Operating On Eyes If Elected

Rand Paul says he would like to keep doing eye surgeries if he becomes president, and has even joked about turning the Lincoln bedroom "into a surgery suite."

"I definitely miss it," the Kentucky senator, an ophthalmologist, told CNN "New Day's" Alisyn Camerota Friday. "I still practice medicine in Kentucky for those who don't have money or insurance and I do it around the world. I do miss it and I wish I could do it more often."

The GOP presidential candidate recently interrupted his campaign to travel to Haiti to perform cataract surgeries, and is planning a trip to Indian reservations next year.

"I went with the University of Utah and they have done 80 missions around the world," said Paul. "You think politics can be frustrating, you are right. In medicine, we unify around a goal, someone is blind, remove the cataract and they can see again. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing that smile."

But still, the senator said he's concerned about the direction the United States is heading in, and said he will remain in the race, even though his poll numbers are remaining low.

He does believe that front-runner Donald Trump has tapped into the nation's anger with Washington, but at the same time, he believes Trump is a "fake conservative."

"As they find out Trump is a fake conservative, the numbers are shrinking," said Paul, pointing out that two-thirds of the people in polls are still undecided about who will get their votes."

Paul also discussed the ongoing debate about gun control laws that has been reignited with the on-air murders of Virginia reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, and a vow Parker's father has made to change the nation's gun laws.

"You know, my heart goes out to him," said Paul. "I'm a father. I have three kids. I can't imagine how sad it would be to lose a child in the prime of her life.... I'm not so sure that there is an easy answer for this."

The problem with background screenings, though, is that often "the first time a person commits a crime is the first evidence they are criminally insane," said Paul.

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