WASHINGTON _ Donald Trump still doesn't have John Kasich's support. And he says he doesn't care.
Speaking on "Fox & Friends" Monday, Trump again found himself discussing the long-since resolved primary battle for the GOP nomination, even as only 50 days remain until the general election. The Ohio governor has been defending what he calls his principled decision not to actively support his party's nominee.
"They all want to run in four years, right? If I were the head of the Republican Party, I would say you can't do it," Trump said Monday.
"In the meantime, we're either tied or leading.
"It'd be nice to have their support. But at this point I don't even really care about their support," Trump said, referring to both Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
On average, recent polls have shown Trump and Hillary Clinton tied in Ohio, but Trump leads in the most recent surveys. The two are also in a close race in Florida. Both are must-win states for Trump.
On Sunday RNC Chairman Reince Priebus suggested a restriction on Republicans who do not endorse Trump. Republicans "need to get on board," Priebus said CBS' "Face the Nation," where he referred to the pledge all Republican candidates took to support the nominee this year.
"And if they're thinking they're going to run again someday, you know, I think that we're going to evaluate the process of the nomination process, and I don't think it's going to be that easy for them," he said.
"It's not a threat," he later said. "It's just a question that we have a process in place."
A Kasich adviser later pushed back, saying the Ohio governor "will not be bullied by a Kenosha (Wis.) political operative that is unable to stand up for core principles or beliefs."
"Reince should be thanking the governor for standing for an inclusive, conservative vision that can actually win a national election and improve the country," Kasich strategist John Weaver said in a statement, noting the governor is traveling to try to prevent "a potential national wipeout."
Trump on Monday referred not just to Kasich but also to Bush. Or Jeb Exclamation Point, as he said in a surprise cameo in the Emmy Awards broadcast Sunday that ended with him pulling away in a car featuring a Jeb 2020 bumper sticker.
