John Kasich explodes at the GOP debate, suggests Trump is a 'fantasy'
Ohio Gov. John Kasich had harsh words for Republican frontrunners Donald Trump and Ben Carson during CNBC's GOP presidential debate, calling their ideas "fantasy" and saying the country cannot elect somebody who "doesn't know how to do the job."
Kasich said he was the only person on stage involved in balancing the federal budget, and the "empty promises" of some candidates would leave the U.S. "trillions and trillions" of dollars in debt. "I have a plan that would create jobs, cut taxes, balance the budget, and get it done because I'm a realist," he said. "Why don't we just give a chicken in every pot while coming up with these fantasy tax games?" Kasich added that when he became governor, Ohio was in an "$8 billion hole, and now we have a $2 billion surplus, we're up 347,000 jobs."
When pressed by a moderator to say whose proposals he thought were "just crazy," Kasich didn't name names, but instead said: "To talk about having a 10 percent tithe, that's how we're going to fund the government? ... We're just gonna be 'great,' or we're just going to ship 10 million Americans, or people, out of the country, leaving their children here and dividing families? Folks, we have to wake up. We can't elect somebody who doesn't know how to do the job."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump quickly pounced, saying that Kasich "got lucky with a thing called fracking. He hit oil, that's why Ohio is doing well." He also said Kasich was a managing general partner at Lehman Brothers "when it went down the tubes and almost took everyone of us with it," and got in a dig about Kasich's popularity. "He said, 'Oh I'm such a nice guy, oh I'm never going to attack,' then his poll numbers tanked," Trump said. "That's why he's on the end, and he got nasty. You know what? You can have him." Kasich quickly responded by saying he was actually a banker, and proud of it. Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
DOJ seeks breakup of Google, Chrome
Speed Read The Justice Department aims to force Google to sell off Chrome and make other changes to rectify its illegal search monopoly
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What can Elon Musk's cost-cutting task force actually cut?
Talking Points A $2 trillion goal. And big obstacles in the way.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in Russia
Speed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sri Lanka's new Marxist leader wins huge majority
Speed Read The left-leaning coalition of newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won 159 of the legislature's 225 seats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden arrives in Peru for final summits
Speed Read President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, visit the Amazon rainforest and attend two major international summits
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published