Former Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is “following the same format he did in 2020” and predicted that his Democratic rival Kamala Harris could win the White House race if Trump continues to sing his old song.
“If this becomes a personality battle, a battle between his personality and hers, he’s going to lose,” Kasich said Friday during an appearance on MSNBC. “If it becomes a battle over ideology and the past, he has a chance to win.”
Kasich – a Trump critic who once faced him in the 2016 Republican primaries – said the former president was “so interested in all the cheering and everything from his people. But I never believed that you win elections by only appealing to your base and not being able to reach out to other people.”
When asked whether the Trump campaign had a chance of “winning this election by trying to appeal to the American middle,” Kasich said it “just makes absolute sense” to look beyond the Republican base.
“If you’re just trying to reach your base, what about the undecided voters, especially in these swing states where the race is so close?” Kasich said.
A poll released Wednesday by the Cook Political Report shows Harris either ahead or tied with Trump in six of seven swing states.
However, Kasich noted that Democrats have a “weak spot” in their message when it comes to advancing a vision for the future, asking, “Where have they been for the last three years?”
However, he said: “Trump is not benefiting from it.”
Kasich added: “He gets bored with things that are crucial here. That’s why he goes off script.”
