Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, criticized Donald Trump Tuesday for his continued “rampage” against Gov. John Kasich, his former rival in the Republican presidential primary.
“I don’t think he should keep up any kind of rampage,” Portman said of Trump during an interview with WAKR radio in Ohio. “He’s doing a great job as governor.”
Portman, who is running for re-election in Ohio, touted Kasich’s high popularity in the Buckeye State.
The embattled senator is slated to host a series of events around Cleveland during the Republican convention this week and to appear on the floor at the Quicken Loans Center, but is not scheduled to speak.
Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign chair, said Monday that Kasich was “embarrassing his party” by declining to speak at the Republican convention convening in his home state.
Trump told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly on Monday that he, too, would avoid making an appearance at the convention if he had “gotten beaten that badly” in the primary.
Portman urged party unity Tuesday in response to questions about the Trump campaign’s apparent feud with Kasich’s camp.
“We need to ensure that we actually win this election,” Portman said. “And the way to win it is to bring Republicans together.”
