Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that Ohio Gov. John Kasich should run for President again in 2020, challenging incumbent President Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary.
Schwarzenegger made the endorsement in an interview with the Los Angeles Times:
“He should run in 2020, yes,” Schwarzenegger said in an interview with The Times when asked whether Kasich, whom he supported over Trump in the 2016 presidential race, should launch another presidential campaign.
“Kasich is an extraordinary guy. He’s a man of substance. He’s worked in Washington, he’s worked in local government, he’s worked in statewide government. He has the experience. He can see things. He has vision,” Schwarzenegger enthused. “He’s also a moderate. He’s a tough Republican and very fiscally conservative, but he also at the same time loves helping people.”
Schwarzenegger backed Kasich in 2016, to little effect. In the Republican primary, the Ohio governor only carried his home state.
Arguably, Kasich made Trump’s primary win easier by staying in the race so long that it became impossible for any Trump challenger — specifically, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) — to round up the necessary delegates and campaign cash.
During the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Kasich refused to show up, angering his own state’s delegation. Despite Kasich’s opposition, Trump carried the crucial Buckeye State by nearly 9 percentage points, taking all 18 Electoral College votes en route to victory.
Trump and Schwarzenegger have carried on a war in social media, trading barbs over political issues and particularly over the ratings of The Apprentice, where Schwarzenegger filled in for Trump but later withdrew from the show.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.