John Kasich Confirms That Donald Trump’s Campaign Offered Him Veep Job

Last month, the New York Times reported that Donald Trump, Jr. contacted former Republican presidential candidate and current Ohio Governor John Kasich to offer him the role of Donald Trump’s running mate. The Times story also stated that in order to convince Kasich, the Trump campaign told him that he’d be in charge of foreign and domestic policy as Veep, while Trump would focus on making America great again.

During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that aired on Sunday, Kasich confirmed that the report was accurate. According to the guv, Trump, Jr. contacted one of his aides with the proposal. He told Tapper that he never seriously considered it because he would be the worst vice-president due to his opinionated manner. (OK, John, Whatever.)

From CNN’s State of the Union transcript:

TAPPER: There was a report in the “New York Times” that Donald Trump, Jr.. called you and tried to suss out your feelings, your interest in being the vice president and said
you would be able to run domestic and foreign policy.
Is that what…

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: — is that report true?

(LAUGHTER)

KASICH: I never got a call. Apparently my aides did.

TAPPER: But Donald Trump, Jr.. did call one of your aides and have that conversation with them?

KASICH: That’s what the reports are. But, you know, I don’t…

TAPPER: But is that — but I mean do your aides say that that’s accurate?

KASICH: That’s what one of them has told me, yes.

TAPPER: Yes. That it was accurate.

KASICH: Yes. But I — I never got a call and that’s yesterday, you know, and — and again, I said, during the campaign, and nobody — none of — nobody in the press believed it, uh, you know, I — I might have been — I might have agreed to be George Washington’s vice president. But I got the second best job in the country. You know, president, governor of Ohio. So I was never interested in being anybody’s vice president.

TAPPER: It wasn’t tempting at all?

KASICH: No — you know, isn’t that amazing? I never considered it.

TAPPER: Really?

(CROSSTALK)

KASICH: Why would I want to be vice — I’d be the worst vice president. I have too many opinions, Jake.

Of course, the Trump campaign has denied that they ever contacted Kasich.

I think the real reason why Kasich didn’t take up the offer was that he doesn’t want to be attached at all to Trump. He’s making a politically calculated decision to distance himself from Trump and Trumpism in the hopes that the real estate mogul will crash and burn this election. Kasich will then run again in 2020, highlighting that he was against Trump all along.

Essentially, this is the same thing Ted Cruz is doing. You can bet that both Ted and John will be throwing their hats in the 2020 ring immediately after Trump loses on Election Day. They don’t have any Trump endorsements hanging around their necks and can appeal to conservatives and moderate independents who were disgusted by Trump’s antics but hated the idea of voting for Hillary Clinton.