John Kasich issued a fiery response to Trump's Oval Office address that mostly criticized the president's leadership
- John Kasich, former governor of Ohio and 2016 GOP presidential candidate, issued a statement in response to President Donald Trump's prime-time Oval Office address on Tuesday night.
- Kasich, a prominent and outspoken Republican critic of Trump, also scolded Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who issued their own televised response after Trump's speech.
- "The President and Democrats need to learn how to compromise and put the American people first," Kasich said in a a statement. "It starts with the President putting the country ahead of his politics and being more flexible with his goals."
John Kasich, former governor of Ohio and 2016 GOP presidential candidate, issued a statement in response to President Donald Trump's prime-time Oval Office address.
Kasich, a prominent Republican critic of Trump and possible 2020 challenger, also scolded Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who issued their own televised response.
"The President and Democrats need to learn how to compromise and put the American people first," Kasich said in a a statement. "It starts with the President putting the country ahead of his politics and being more flexible with his goals."
"People are going to start hurting from the government shutdown because of partisan politics," Kasich said.
The partial government shutdown - which both impacts 800,000 federal employees, and the functionality of important government agencies like Homeland Security and the Food and Drug Administration - is now in its 18th day. It began due to an impasse between the White House and Congress over $5 billion for Trump's proposed border barrier.
The new Democratic House majority, the Senate, and the White House have thus far failed to reach a compromise, and federal workers are likely to miss paychecks - roughly 420,000 of those who are deemed "essential" employees must still work even without pay.
Through his address, which discussed border security, Trump made his case to Americans for his border barrier. Democrats responded, asking Trump to reopen the government and to tackle border security through other means - including technology, increased personnel, and other infrastructure.
Kasich's take: "Border security is important, but both sides should be willing to negotiate on how we do it."
In November 2018, Kasich told ABC's "This Week" that he was "very seriously" considering a run for president in 2020.