Former Republican governor of Ohio and MSNBC political analyst John Kasich stunned host José Díaz-Balart on Friday by speculating that President Biden may not end up being the Democratic Party presidential nominee.
Kasich cited polling data, people’s feelings on the economy, the president’s poor public speaking events and his fear over upcoming presidential debates to say there’s a strong chance that the party will choose someone else to run against former President Trump.
"I’m starting to wonder that there’s a real possibility that Joe Biden will not be the Democrat nominee," Kasich declared, prompting Díaz-Balart to question where the former governor got the information.
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After noting that Trump is currently beating Biden in swing state polls, Kasich continued, "The fact that the economy is not turning, the fact that people are saying it’s a terrible economy for them, the fact that they’ve said they don’t have any confidence Joe Biden can fix it, his public appearances have not been very good, and now they’ve agreed to two debates, which is as out there as you can get."
He then proposed his hypothesis about Biden not getting the Democratic Party nod, to which the host asked, "Governor, where is this coming from?"
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Kasich insisted he based the statement on his conversations with "a lot of people" and the poll numbers.
"I see what these numbers are like, Jose," he said. "I mean, you had a poll, that Siena poll, [that] indicated last week, not only did they think he couldn’t fix the economy – and they put Trump way ahead of him – but they also said they’re not sure he’s as competent as Trump."
"I mean these are really significant numbers," the former Republican presidential candidate declared.
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Despite being a Republican, Kasich pledged his support for then-presidential candidate Biden in 2020, appearing in a pro-Biden ad to tell voters that "America is at a crossroads," and to not go down "the wrong road" with Trump.
Kasich has also endorsed Biden for re-election.
The former governor also argued Biden’s public appearances "just aren’t working," and mentioned frustration over Biden’s campaign "talking about ‘Bidenomics’ all that time, and saying, oh no, everything’s been great.",
He again expressed fear over Biden’s potential debate performances, noting, "I don’t know how that’s going to go, and I’m just beginning to wonder."
Díaz-Balart acknowledged Kasich’s point, though didn’t have much to add beyond saying, "Your opinion is an important one… The important thing is to listen to everyone’s concepts, opinion, and thoughts."
