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Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul exited the 2016 presidential race earlier this year. | AP Photo Rand Paul will back Trump if he is nominee

It may be April 1, but apparently Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is not joking about supporting Donald Trump for the Republican nomination if — if — he emerges as the party's nominee in the general election.

Paul said Friday morning that he would support whoever is named the Republican nominee, even if it's Trump, telling a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter during a visit to the metro area in Kentucky that backing the Manhattan businessman would be better than going for Hillary Clinton. The senator, according to the report, specifically criticized Clinton's comments in Ohio that she would "put a whole lot of companies and coal miners out of business."

"I think we never get the candidate we exactly want unless you're the candidate," Paul said. "Think about it from this perspective: I'm from Kentucky, and Hillary Clinton recently said she would put coal miners out of business, and she would put coal companies out of business."

His father, Ron Paul, meanwhile, has said he would not support Trump as the nominee.

Rand Paul also said he would not endorse anyone in the Republican primary, though on Thursday he did tease out a "YUGE" endorsement announcement for the next day on Twitter.

As it turned out, Paul was not endorsing Trump or any other candidate, but rather "entropy."