There is little Donald Trump could say to Ohio Gov. John Kasich to persuade the Buckeye State leader to attend and speak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week.
The former GOP presidential candidate told NBC reporter Lester Holt that the presumptive nominee would have to make a 180-degree turn in his platform to win his support, according to a preview of a pre-taped interview airing Monday night on “NBC Nightly News.”
“If Donald Trump called you right now and said, ‘Bygones be bygones. Come over and speak this week,'” Holt stated.
“Well, no. He’d have to change everything that he says,” Kasich said. “We can’t be attacking Muslims and Hispanics, and trying to shut down trade, and not caring about the debt. Those are all problems for me. And so it’s not — I don’t hold any personal animus towards Donald Trump. We just are two companies that have different values, different directions and different philosophies.”
Kasich was the final Republican candidate to drop out of the race, even though he was never a top finisher in the primaries.
He signed the party’s pledge promising to support the GOP’s selection at the convention. His withholding of an endorsement will only complicate this week’s convention in his home state.
The full interview with Kasich will air on “NBC Nightly News” Monday.
