John Kasich shoots down potential bipartisan 2020 presidential ticket with Democratic governor John Hickenlooper

Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Sunday denied a report that he's considering teaming up with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper for a bipartisan presidential ticket in 2020.

In an interview on "Meet The Press," the Republican governor denied an Axios report that said he and Hickenlooper, a Democrat, were considering a presidential bid with Kasich at the top of the ticket, and Hickenlooper as his running mate.

"First of all, you couldn't pronounce it," Kasich joked. "And secondly, you couldn't fit it on a bumper sticker."

He added: "The answer is no, okay?"

Kasich - who has made several recent appearances with Hickenlooper to advocate for a bipartisan health care fix - said he was aggravated by the suggestion that he was working with the Democratic governor for political gain.

"Cynics out there say, 'Well, they want something,' because we want to stabilize health care and make sure that poor people have something; people assume there's a motive," Kasich said. "Sometimes people actually do things because they're trying to help somebody. And when we do that everybody ought not to say, 'Well, what's in it for them?' This growing cynicism eats at the fabric of the spirit of our country."

Though he previously seemed to entertain the idea of running with Kasich, Hickenlooper has since backed off speculation that he could pair up with the Ohio governor on a bipartisan ticket.

On Friday, Hickenlooper, who many Democrats say harbors his own 2020 presidential ambitions, poured cold water over the speculation.

Since Trump took office earlier this year, Kasich has hinted that he may run against Trump in the 2020 Republican primary, or even as an independent.

The Ohio governor has been one of the most outspoken critics of Trump, releasing statements and giving interviews criticizing the president's health care bill, his response to the white supremacist protest in Charlottesville, and his decision to deploy additional troops to Afghanistan.