Fellow Republican / Former Rival Grades Trump's First 100 Days 'Incomplete'

WASHINGTON – One of President Trump's 2016 primary opponents says it's too early to adequately assess the commander-in-chief's White House tenure.
 
Ohio Governor John Kasich told CBN News why he couldn't give Mr. Trump either high marks or a failing grade.
 
"It's incomplete," he said. "He's just trying to learn this job."
 
As the last contender to exit the Republican primary, Kasich was arguably the candidate most unlike Donald Trump in the crowded GOP field. The hopeful tone of his campaign ran in stark contrast to Trump's incendiary attacks on his opponents and the media.
 
Staying true to his positive theme, the governor offered his support for President Trump in February after an Oval Office meeting with his former foe.
 
"The man is the president of the United States. It's sort of like being on an airplane – you want to root for the pilot," he told the cameras stationed outside of the White House after their meeting. "You don't want the pilot to screw up."
 
Kasich, who's in his second term as Ohio's chief executive, provided CBN News more details about his conversation with the president, including his own account of his first 100 days as governor.
 
"I wasn't a unifier," he recalled. "One day my wife said to me, 'You're the governor of Ohio, which makes you the father of Ohio. Why don't you act like it?'"
 
Kasich credits his wife's suggestion for helping him re-examine his role and refocus his efforts.
 
"I told him that story . . . and, even though I have not jettisoned my principles, I look at my job as one of a unifier more than just some sort of executive or CEO," he said.
 
"I think it's served me very, very well."
 
Kasich also weighed in on the revived GOP health care plan to repeal and replace Obamacare now in discussion in the U.S. House.
 

 
"I think what they're trying to do now is terrible – because it will result in millions of people being abandoned," he told CBN News.
 
Under his tenure, Ohio expanded Medicaid for 700,000 residents. While Kasich acknowledges Obamacare is flawed, he has been advocating for "significant" reforms rather than abolishing the Affordable Care Act.

"How is it possible that we are now dealing with a health care bill that affects the biggest chunk of the economy and the Republicans will not even talk to Democrats about it?" Kasich asked.
 
He compares the current debate to the one that resulted in 2010 "when the Democrats jammed Obamacare through" without garnering any Republican support.
 
"If we were able to talk to Democrats, we'd be able to come to a conclusion—come to a place—where we could improve the system and have it be sustainable," he said.
 
Kasich is on tour promoting his new book Two Paths: America Divided or United. It's a continuation of a national conversation he started with a seminal speech last April, when he insisted he would "not take the low road to the highest office in the land."
 
"The future can be bright," he said, offering recommendations on how to fix the country's strident divisions.
 
"I wrote this book, because I love this country, and I love my 17-year-old daughters."