Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said he cried after losing the 2016 GOP presidential nomination to former President Trump, adding that he hoped people would “come into their senses.”
In an episode of the “Kasich & Klepper” podcast published Thursday, Kasich told co-host Jordan Klepper and guest actress Julie Bowen that he experienced the emotional moment before appearing in a fundraising event for his presidential campaign.
Kasich, who ran against Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016, also said he hoped people will “come to their senses” and block Trump from earning enough delegate votes ahead of the Republican National Convention.
“Well, you know, I was [in the presidential race] til the bitter end. When it was over — I haven’t ever told anyone this — I was on a plane and we were going to do a fundraiser, and I could have done it, and I thought, ‘You know, that’s not right, I know this isn’t gonna go on because Trump’s gonna have enough votes in the convention,’” Kasich told the others. “ I was really hoping that we were gonna block him and that people were gonna come to their senses.”
“But when it was over, we got off the plane, I went inside the FBO [fixed-base operator], and I went behind this building, and I cried. I had one cry,” Kasich added, noting he was able to sink in the realization of him losing the nomination with the comfort of his family.
“Then I went to my daughter’s school — and that was really hard — and they had gotten wind of [the end of my campaign] and then they came out and gave me a big hug. But then it was over, and it was a wonderful experience.”
Kasich, who has often been a stern critic of Trump, also said he doesn’t miss his time as a politician, saying his previous life “doesn’t define” him.
“I quit Congress, I just walked away, and I thought ‘OK, time to do something else.’ I left the governor’s job. People say ‘Do you miss being governor?’ – it’s a powerful position in the 7th largest state,” Kasich told Klepper and Bowen. “And I say no because I knew what was gonna come, and the job doesn’t define me.”