Ohio Gov. John Kasich could arrive at the Republican National Convention in his home state next month having declined to support the party’s likely presidential nominee.
Kasich, who was the last of Donald Trump’s opponents to suspend his presidential campaign, said Thursday the chance of him endorsing Trump before the July convention is “not looking good.”
“Are you saying it’s possible that you could walk into that arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and not endorse?” Fox News’ Bill Hemmer asked the Buckeye State governor in his first interview since dropping out of the race.
“Absolutely. Of course,” Kasich responded. “I’ve been this way since I was in politics. I kind of call them the way I see them and never more than today does the country need to be unified, do we need to stop the fighting, do we need to realize that we are Americans before we are Democrats or Republicans.”
He continued, “This is not a game for me. I can’t go for dividing, name-calling or someone that doesn’t really represent conservative principles.”
It would be a severe blow to Trump not to secure Kasich’s support ahead of the convention, especially because of the critical role Ohio will play in determining whether Republicans take back the White House in November.
The two-term governor told Hemmer he continues to harbor concerns about Trump’s rhetoric on immigration, in addition to his foreign policy and proposal to bar non-American Muslims from entering the U.S.
