Ron Paul was not the chairman of a full committee and he did not hold a party leadership position during his 23 years in the United States House of Representatives. Neither was Paul focused in the House on expanding the use of government power via legislation. Nonetheless, Paul managed to use his elected office to achieve a very significant objective — helping make people aware of, and educate them about, the importance of protecting liberty and the related imperative of reducing the reach of government.

Paul has continued pursuing this educational goal, including through his founding of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and his hosting of the Ron Paul Liberty Report, in the eight years since he left the House.

A new interview with hosts Doug Casey and Matthew Smith at the show Doug Casey’s Take provided Paul with an opportunity to reflect on Paul’s time in the US House. Indeed, the nearly one-hour interview is a good resource for learning about Paul’s motivation in the House and how he interacted with other representatives.

Summing up his approach to being a member of the House, Paul declares in the interview, “I have no desire for political power — zero, I am not interested in that — but I didn’t mind the idea of maybe gaining a position where I would have a little influence on people’s thinking about the concept of liberty.” To this statement, Casey provides a response with which many people would agree: “Well, you had a bigger influence than just about anybody in recent times.”

Paul also talks in the interview about other topics including cryptocurrencies, Donald Trump, potential crisis ahead in America, and changes in the House since Paul left it in January of 2013.

Watch Paul’s interview here:

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.