Did Trump and Kasich Strike a Deal?
And if so, what was it? We asked the internet.
John Kasich has a big announcement at 5:00 EST, but we all know what he will say. He’ll formally announce he’s suspending his presidential campaign. And yes, he was running for president this whole time. By the way, did you know his father was a mailman? Because his father was a mailman.
By some theories, Kasich hung on just long enough to siphon votes from Cruz and serve as an anti-Trump spoiler. Not sure I buy this particular line because it assumes Kasich supporters would’ve defaulted to Cruz in the absence of the Governor.
In any case, some have suggested (though none have confirmed), that Trump and Kasich struck a smokey, back-room deal which would explain the timing of Kasich’s withdrawal from the race.
RedState’s Leon Wolf posted a clip showing Trump toying with the idea of vetting Kasich for VP:
Wolf Blitzer: CNN has just confirmed, John Kasich, the Ohio governor, he’s dropping out as well. You’re the only one left right now.
Trump: That’s good. You’re just telling me this for the first time about John and that’s good. I think John’s doing the right thing.
Wolf: Ohio, you know, is an important state, no Republican has ever been elected President of the United States without winning Ohio.
Trump: Well, I think John will be very… I’ve had a good relationship with John…
Wolf: He’s got a lot of government experience in Congress, as a governor…
Trump: I think John will be very helpful with Ohio, even as a governor.
Wolf: He says he doesn’t want to be a Vice President.
Trump: Well, that could be. I mean, he said that.
Wolf: Would he be someone you’d be interested in vetting?
Trump: There’s… I’d be interested in vetting John. I like John. I’ve had a good relationship with John. I’ve gotten along with him well.
Could it be they made a VP deal? Who knows? I don’t. So I asked the internet:
Your guesses on the deal we all assume Kasich made with Trump?
— Kemberlee Kaye (@KemberleeKaye) May 4, 2016
My personal opinion:
I’m guessing Trump agreed to pick up Kasich’s restaurant tabs for the next 4 years in exchange for dropping out. https://t.co/rwIx5gntIf
— Kemberlee Kaye (@KemberleeKaye) May 4, 2016
Most likely:
I'm still certain it was ego, and will be skeptical of collusion theories even if he's wooed into being Trump's VP. https://t.co/QjYV2CjesU
— Jason Hart (@jasonahart) May 4, 2016
But the responses were hilarious:
.@KemberleeKaye A corner office and all the interns he can eat. Just my guess.
— ZombieWarhol (@ZombieWarhol) May 4, 2016
Postmaster General, natch https://t.co/9azTCMxKqC
— Edward G. Robinson (@skinneen) May 4, 2016
@exjon @KemberleeKaye his very own Yuge Great Clips franchise
— FocusedResults (@FocusedResults1) May 4, 2016
Emcee on a new Trump game show? https://t.co/BC2bS5Fjcd
— Harry K. #LionTed (@NorthFalcon74) May 4, 2016
@KemberleeKaye Or his dry cleaning bills. (He's a messy eater.)
— ElleJo (@ElleJo) May 4, 2016
@NorthFalcon74 @KemberleeKaye All you can eat Trump steaks pic.twitter.com/urtYjI5T76
— John Cruise (@Crewzer2day) May 4, 2016
Mailman-themed casino in Akron. https://t.co/4Ei9xZ5cak
— jon gabriel (@exjon) May 4, 2016
This explains everything:
Kasich is Polish for penis. @exjon @KemberleeKaye
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) May 4, 2016
Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye
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Comments
Can I get a side of fries with this nothing burger?
Yep!
As my dad would have said: “Boiled wind over a hot fire.”
While I am glad Kasich is withdrawing, I wish, his father (a mailman [postage transportation engineer?]) had withdrawn earlier.
I find it very interesting that Trump has to emphasize that this is the first time he’s been told about Kasich dropping out…
I don’t know. The only topic on which Trump has been 100% believable is when he is implying that he doesn’t know something.
“I find it very interesting that Trump has to emphasize that this is the first time he’s been told about Kasich dropping out…”
Yeah, it couldn’t possibly be interesting to Trump because it’s the first time he’s been told about Kasich dropping out…
That would be way to simple. It had to be because of a secret conspiracy put together for Trump to hear about it before Blitzer asked him, so he could lie about not hearing the news before the question.
Because we all know that no one EVER says anything like, “That’s the first time I’ve heard about that,” when hearing something for the first time.
And OBVIOUSLY, if it’s not that simple, it proves that Trump and Kasich struck a deal months ago to shut out Cruz! It proves the conspiracy against Cruz was in from the beginning! Those sneaky bastards! I knew it! (Did I use enough caps and exclamation points? I can add more.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donald-trump-takes-the-reins-of-a-divided-republican-party/2016/05/04/48df48ca-122a-11e6-93ae-50921721165d_story.html
Toward the bottom of the (rather long) story:
“Trump said he has his eyes on Kasich, saying that during intermissions at debates the two gravitated toward each other. “I’ve always liked him and I’ve always gotten along with him,” Trump said. Is he on the short list? “Let’s put it this way,” Trump said, “he’s rising rapidly.”
You’re just trolling us at this point, right?
If this is humor give us something serious. If this is serious give us something humorous.
Hmmm.
Campaigns end when the backers say they’re not signing any more checks. All the candidate can do at that point is put on a show for the press and claim that he decided to stop because [insert improbable story here, pref. one involving mailmen.]
Or …
Kasich was hoping that Cruz would get enough delegates to keep Trump from the magic 1237. Then at a contested convention, the Party could make up some new rules to screw over both Trump and Cruz, and make Kasich the nominee. But once Cruz bowed out, that meant no contested nomination, foiling that whole plan.
Or …
It’s some nefarious collusion, a secret treaty between Kasich and the Prince of Darkness.
Take your pick. I know which one I’d choose, and I think I know which one you’ll choose …
Sec. State or Sec. Tres.
Trump wouldn’t give Kasich the VP position. It’s TOO valuable to somebody who can give him something in return.
My suggestion to Trump to unite the party: Publicly state that if elected president, he will nominate Ted Cruz to the Supreme Court position opened by Justice Scalia’s death.
It would foreclose a future Cruz Presidency, but it would definitely be a win for Jurisprudence.
He can state anything he want. He words don’t mean much to me.
but it would definitely be a win for Jurisprudence.
Not long ago I would have thought so too.
But this campaign has made Cruz look like such a [insert appropriate profanity here] that I now think that he’d be a grotesque disaster.
Yep. The hump definitely has that Rod Blagojevich thing goin’ on. He’ll sell the VP pick to the highest bidder – whomever promises and has the ability and street cred to bring the most gravy and influence to the table.
Excuse me Jack, but that has always been how a VP is picked. It is called balancing the ticket.
Well, it’s one thing to look for political power and popularity in a populous state or region.
It’s another to look for a person who can help in your graft and corruption.
Precisely.
“It’s another to look for a person who can help in your graft and corruption.”
So, trump is talking to cruz?
Maybe you didn’t hear, Barry, but Cruz has dropped out of the race.
Perhaps you can spend your time writing positive things about Trump and his policies rather than continuing to castigate someone who is not only an actual conservative but who is also the far better man.
So share with us, what is the presumptive Republican nominee going to do (that he has already not said he didn’t mean and is negotiable)? What attributes does Trump possess that make him ideally suited to the most powerful office not only in this land but, arguably, in the world? Do tell. Because so far, all I see is a thin-skinned, stompy-footed narcissist who is incapable of controlling himself or his emotions, who shoots from the hip without a thought or care, and whose entire campaign has been a mockery of the office he seeks to hold.
But hey, if continuing to slam Cruz after he’s dropped out of the race is all you have . . . .
“Maybe you didn’t hear, Barry, but Cruz has dropped out of the race.”
Maybe you didn’t read, Fuzzy, but I was responding to an unfounded accusation that Trump is looking for graft and corruption.
“Perhaps you can spend your time writing positive things about Trump and his policies rather than continuing to castigate someone who is not only an actual conservative but who is also the far better man.”
You, and the “far better man” do nothing but make up BS about trump, while touting the one that lost as “true blue”. You can see only a “thin-skinned, stompy-footed narcissist” in trump but no imperfection in your fav, Mr. Cruz.
The fact is, the republican party disagrees with your assessment, and has voted overwhelmingly for trump. It is not even close. But you just hate those slimy voters…
As for listing the positive policies of mr trump, no point. They can be found anywhere you care to actually look and read. Perhaps you should take a look at Mr Gingrich’s list. Maybe he is not conservative enough for you.
As for the rest, I will counter your and “the far better mans” lies and misrepresentations with equally inane comments. That is all you have, name calling, lies, and misrepresentation.
No, Chuck. Der Donald would be rightly terrified of having Cruz on a court reviewing his illegal conduct in office.
Or, for that matter in the Senate when he’s tried after being impeached!
http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/04/gop-nominee-after-victory-i-notice-no-one-in-the-cruz-camp-denied-the-enquirer-story-about-his-father-and-lee-harvey-oswald/
T-rump is too stupid to let his stupid pass.
Trump said this morning (audio was on Armstrong and Getty) that he would like to pick a Senator, a DC insider, who will make deals for him so that he wouldn’t have to use “so many” executive actions.
…
I hate the GOP.
There’s nothing at all wrong with executive orders per se. They’re simply directions from the Chief Executive to the departments which work for him on how to conduct business.
The problem is executive orders used in such a way as to make the President a sort of mini-legislature. These are a horrible abuse, and both parties are guilty. Unfortunately nobody’s yet found a way to stop them from being so abused. Both the Legislature and the Judiciary seem helpless to stop it.
Hard to believe that a town full of lawyers can’t figure out how to put a halt to this systemic problem, but there we are.
So, until someone figures that out, what is a reasonable course? Fight executive orders by bad Presidents with executive orders by not-quite-so-bad Presidents? Not a good solution, but it may be all we have.
Yet the dumb humpers (“I could go out and shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and these people would still support me”) still don’t get that the hump is the ultimate insider. If it wasn’t so important, it would be comical: “I’m a DC outsider but I’m going to hire a DC insider to make my deals so I don’t have to make up so many laws by executive order with my great brain.”
Was there a Trump/Kasich deal? No, no there is not. Kasich is out of money and no one is funding him.
However, there was a Cruz/Kasich deal put into place last week. Many people called the initial alliance “genius”. We also know that Cruz, Kasich, and the GOPe met in California and struck some sort of deal.
I don’t know if Kasich’s deal was with Trump, but if not, then it was with the RNC brain trust.
Whichever the case, it’s plain to see that his mission was accomplished and he’s pleased with himself.
Kasich did some good things 20 years ago which I still respected him for. I no longer do. It’s clear to me he was either doing Trump a solid or the RNC.
If Kasich has a deal with anybody, it is the RNC and the GOPe, not Trump. Once Trump picked up the 57 delegates in Indiana, he was assured of ending up so close to 1237, that to deny him the nomination would have been fatally toxic to the GOP leadership. So, Cruz, who has been working diligently to position himself for the nomination at a contested convention, suddenly suspends his campaign. John Kasich, who has been running as a Trump spoiler, not a Cruz spoiler, is also set to drop out, even though he was never really in the race to begin with.
Why drop out now? Cruz still has a shot at keeping Trump from the magic number of 1237 and he could win nomination at the convention through his supporters who are delegates for Trump, and others. So, why give it all up, now? Perhaps because Cruz wants a future Republican political career? With his campaign suspended, Trump should hit 1237 and this will take the pressure off the GOP leadership at the convention. And, with Kasich out, Trump is all but assured of making 1237 before the convention, eliminating the possibility of his not being nominated there.
So, who is the most likely people that Cruz and Kasich made a deal with, Trump or the GOPe?
KISS. Kasich dropped out because his donor base dropped out. With Cruz gone, Kasich has no chance at a nomination by convention acclaim so the money people see no reason to keep funding him. He has no more money. All this other speculation is just that – speculation.
I disagree. Speculation is way too simple. And simple is simply way too simple in CruzLand. As has been amply demonstrated today in CruzLand, everything that happens must happen because it affects Cruz. If Cruz benefits, it’s because Cruz planned it that way, and he outsmarted all of his competitors. If Cruz is negatively affected, then there must be a cabal of actors who conspired to bring Cruz down. You know, secret meetings in smoke-filled rooms, backroom deals with power brokers, with a healthy dose of nefarious “establishment” types just to fill out the cast of ne’er do wells. In fact, if you point out something negative about Cruz, especially if it’s factual and true, it proves you are part of the conspiracy. Otherwise, why would you even mention it?
Remember, it’s always a conspiracy, and if anyone denies it’s a conspiracy, that simply confirms it’s a conspiracy, because what would you expect people involved in a conspiracy to say except they’re not involved in the conspiracy?
BINGO..give that man a prize. Kasich was told he had to leave. Trump had nothing to do with it.
Its quite simple – as long as Cruz was in, and Kasich stayed in, Kasich got to eat for FREE. As soon as Cruz dropped out, that deal was over.
I’ll let others speculate on who was picking up the tab (RNC, Trump, DNC, Hillary …)
The most likely explanation is that Kasich’s financial backing dried up. Once he say that he would have to pay for all those lunches out of his own pocket he decided to fold his napkin and go back to Columbus.
Kasich’s actions are logical for a person who (1) knows he’s not winning this time; (2) wants the R’s to go down to defeat so he can run again in 4; (3) has same morals as Chris Christie (same logic for the Obama hug 4 years ago). Don’t know if it’s true but none of HIS explanations is logical.