Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Tuesday that he believes he has a “right to define what it means to be a conservative.”
Kasich is slated to speak at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Aug. 17 in support of presumptive democratic nominee Joe Biden. Kasich, who did not support President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, says he’s comfortable speaking at the DNC.
John Kasich:
“I think I have a right to define what it means to be a conservative.”pic.twitter.com/bPBfSsQsTN
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 11, 2020
“Leaders walk a lonely road, and if you’re not prepared to walk a lonely road and do the things your conscious tells you to do, then how do you think about yourself when you look in the mirror?” Kasich said in an interview with CNN.
Kasich says he believes “America needs to go in a different direction” to bring a sense of “unity” following what he calls Trump’s “divisive rhetoric”.
I will be speaking at the #DNC Convention because I believe that America needs to go in a different direction.
I’ve searched my conscience and I believe the best way forward is for change – to bring unity where there has been division. And to bring about a healing in America. pic.twitter.com/sfnBGBF3kG
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) August 11, 2020
In the same video, he says he believes Biden can unify the country, noting Biden’s track record.
“His history has been an ability to bring people together…I think he can restore civility. I don’t think he’ll go hard left.”
Kasich criticized the GOP in July, claiming they “tarnished” the party’s reputation by electing Trump.
It wasn’t that long ago that we Republicans were talking about how to expand our party. The damage done by years of capitulation to Trump’s divisive rhetoric will take many more years to heal. The GOP brand is tarnished but it’s not too late for elected leaders to speak out. pic.twitter.com/sAMlzSnTMw
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) July 7, 2020
Kasich came out in support of the president’s impeachment in October, telling CNN former White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney’s admission that the U.S. did withhold aid from Ukraine to pressure an investigation into Hunter Biden was enough to sell him. (RELATED: ‘I Can’t Talk?!’: Don Lemon Flips Out On John Kasich For Not Bashing Trump’s Coronavirus Address)
“If you are asking me if I was sitting in the House of Representatives today and you were to ask me how do I feel, do I think impeachment should move forward and should go for a full examination and a trial in the United States Senate, my vote would be yes,” said Kasich on CNN’s “Newsroom”.
Kasich is so far the only Republican set to speak at the DNC.