On this weekend’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) said after President Donald Trump’s first six months in office he was “worried about our country.”
Partial transcript as follows:
WALLACE: Governor, let’s start with — with President Trump. When you look at the events of just recent days, the public humiliation of Jeff Sessions, the — the shocking interview by Anthony Scaramucci, the open infighting in the White House, sitting there in Columbus, Ohio, what do you think?
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: Well, I’m worried about our country, obviously, Chris. And here’s the thing. You know, the White House is an amazing institution. It has great power. But when I think about the people who have been able to lend voice to amplify that power, you know I think about FDR, nothing to fear but fear itself, I think about JFK, you know, it’s not what you — what your country can do for you, what do you do for your country, or Ronald Reagan, you know, the city on a — on a — a shining city on a hill.
What we need — and I think perhaps the president can get there, I sure hope so, is sort of the sense of unity, of hopefulness, not of division but of lifting. And — and I think we’re not seeing enough — we’re not seeing that right now. And so you take the powerful institution of the White House. You combine it with a voice that is power and uplifting. And that’s what people loved about Roosevelt. That’s what they loved about — about Kennedy. It’s what they loved about Ronald Reagan. And that’s what we need. That needs to be thought about.
WALLACE: And — and other than just belief and optimism about this country, what makes you think that we’re going to get that from this White House?
KASICH: Because I’m basically a glass half-full guy. And, you know, we’ve had six months, but we have — you know, we’ve got a long way to go. I just hope we’re going to get it. And I — I would also tell you, Chris, it’s also Congress. If we’re not going to get this direction out of the White House, then we need to get it out of the Congress. And in Congress, we need people to get along. And, you know, I listen to the leaders talk and I — I don’t actually think the answer is with the leaders in the Congress. I think the answer is with the rank-and-file, people who know that that city is now dysfunctional. And I think, furthermore, we need to realize that it’s not just the political leaders that are showing dysfunction, it’s the people in the country, the partisans, who demand certain things, as John McCain said in a very bombastic way.
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