Rand Paul launches presidential bid to 'beat the Washington machine'

US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) arrives with his wife Kelley before formally announcing his candidacy for president during an event in Louisville, Kentucky, April 7, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

Advocating for the dismantling of the notorious phone data collection program from the very beginning, Paul was set to stand out among more than dozen Republicans who had so far expressed serious interests in a 2016 run.

"Warrantless searches of Americans' phones and computer records are un-American and a threat to our civil liberties," said Paul. " And as president on day one, I will immediately end this unconstitutional surveillance."

Meanwhile, Paul sought to expand the support by libertarian Republicans to a more mainstream Republican audience by embracing a more hawkish policy policy.

"The enemy is radical Islam. You can't get around it," said Paul, referring to US President Barack Obama's reluctance to identify the threat posed by the extremist group the Islamic State as "Islamic extremism."

"And not only will I name the enemy, I will do whatever it takes to defend America from these haters of mankind," he added, stressing his willingness to use force when necessary.

The remarks represented a noticeable shift from Paul's previous non-interventionist stances often assailed by defense hawks from his own party.

In a new poll by ABC News and The Washington Post, Paul has 8 percent of supporting rate in the GOP, falling behind the party's leading potential candidate Jeb Bush's 21 percent.