Another day, another Twitter feud, this time between President Donald Trump and Ohio Governor John Kasich (R). Trump appears to be lashing out, owing to Kasich’s purported Presidential ambitions, seemingly setting himself up to challenge the President in the 2020 GOP primary.
The President lashed out at Kasich on Twitter:
The very unpopular Governor of Ohio (and failed presidential candidate) @JohnKasich hurt Troy Balderson’s recent win by tamping down enthusiasm for an otherwise great candidate. Even Kasich’s Lt. Governor lost Gov. race because of his unpopularity. Credit to Troy on the BIG WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2018
Kasich fired back with a short clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin laughing, hinting at Trump’s alleged association with Putin:
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) August 13, 2018
Kasich has grown increasingly critical of President Trump, and while doing so, has seemed to hint that he’d be a better President. This has fueled speculation that Kasich seeks to challenge Trump in the 2020 Republican Primary. Most notably, Kasich ripped Trump over his tariffs, arguing that Trump is “creating a division with our friends who have kept the peace for 70 years in this world.”
Kasich also slammed Trump over his meeting with Putin in Helenski, Finland. The President came under intense fire for his chummy relationship with Putin at the summit. Following the summit, Kasich spoke to MSNBC, arguing that Democrats and Republicans could push for “a traditional model, which is a strong America, belief in our allies, the critical importance of the western ethic.”
Presidents typically face little to no real challenges in securing their Party’s primary nomination. In fact, only one President who won the presidency through the normal national election has lost a primary challenge. That ignominious honor went to the 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, who lost his Party’s support to James Buchanan in 1856. Pierce was deeply unpopular.
Four other Presidents lost to primary challenges (then organized as conventions), but they only assumed the highest office after the sitting President was assassinated or otherwise died. Those four were John Tyler (Whig, 1844), Millard Fillmore (Whig, 1852), Andrew Johnson, (Democrat, 1868), and Chester Arthur, (Republican, 1884).
If Kasich does challenge President Trump, he’ll face a steep uphill battle. While Trump has peeved many GOP party stalwarts, he remains deeply popular among his base, with a 90-percent approval rating among Republicans. This base will likely decide the GOP nomination. Kasich’s 2016 primary run failed to gain much traction against Trump. In other words, the odds will be against Kasich.
