John Kasich’s presidential campaign increased its attacks on Donald Trump ahead of Trump’s visit to Ohio.
The governor’s campaign rounded up other Ohio politicos — Congressman Pat Tiberi, State Senate President Keith Faber, and State Sen. Peggy Lehner — for a conference call with reporters to “discuss Donald Trump.” The Buckeye State officials chose instead to focus on Kasich and reluctantly mentioned Trump by name, choosing instead to express dismay about Trump’s lack of governmental experience and his remarks about a database of Muslim Americans.
But the Kasich campaign has not minced words. It released a new ad with a tag line, “Does Donald Trump even know what he’s talking about?” The campaign wove together together clips of Trump commenting on the hypothetical creation of a registry of Muslim Americans. The video plays over a musical score marked by string instruments befitting the theatrical trailer of a thriller.
Trump threatened to sue Kasich last week for the looming onslaught of negative ads from Team Kasich, including advertisements made by the super political action committees supporting Kasich’s presidential bid. The threat does not seem to have had any effect on Kasich, whose campaign has also arranged a press conference with military veterans who will “discuss Donald Trump” in Ohio just before Trump’s Monday night speech in Columbus.
New Day for America, a pro-Kasich super PAC, has unleashed new attacks, too. The group released a new ad on Monday highlighting Trump’s controversial statements about women, African Americans, and how Trump would date his own daughter if she were not related to him. Kasich’s strategist John Weaver has also unleashed a torrent of tweets that reflect negatively on Trump, and floated the idea that Trump amounted to a “highly secret tool created by the Clinton campaign.”
“When history is written about campaign cycle, not going to be shocked to read about back channel communications between Trump & B. Clinton,” Weaver tweeted.
Kasich, who ranks tenth in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings, has touted his “electability,” especially in Ohio, as a defining feature of his candidacy. As the reality television star on top of the polls touches down on Kasich’s home turf, the governor has shown he will not to give Trump a warm welcome.
