Ohio Governor John Kasich announced on Saturday he would not support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, following the leaked video of Trump from 2005 in which he made lewd comments which objectified women.
“Nothing that has happened in the last 48 hours is surprising to me or many others,” Kasich said in a statement.
“Many people were angry and questioned why I would not endorse Donald Trump or attend the Republican Convention,” he continued. “I’ve long had concerns with Donald Trump that go beyond his temperament. We have substantive policy differences on conservative issues like trade, our relationship with Russia, and the importance of balancing the federal budget.
“I’ve held out hope that he would change on those disqualifying policy positions, but he has not,” added Kasich. “I’ve also encouraged him to change his behavior for the better and offer a positive, inclusive vision for our country, but he has not.
“It’s clear that he hasn’t changed and has no interest in doing so. As a result, Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not support. The actions of the last day are disgusting, but that’s not why I reached this decision, it has been an accumulation of his words and actions that many have been warning about. I will not vote for a nominee who has behaved in a manner that reflects so poorly on our country. Our country deserves better,” concluded the Ohio Governor.
Kasich dropped out of the race for Republican nominee shortly after Trump won the Indiana Republican primary on May 3.
While his name was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in a third party bid, Kasich ruled out that possibility, saying it didn’t feel right to run with another party.
Also on Saturday, Arizona Senator John McCain disavowed Trump, saying that "there are no excuses for Donald Trump's offensive and demeaning comments."
"No woman should ever be victimized by this kind of inappropriate behavior. He alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences," McCain added.
"I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set. I thought I owed his supporters that deference," McCain said. "But Donald Trump's behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy. Cindy, with her strong background in human rights and respect for women fully agrees with me in this. "
Trump on Saturday vowed to “never” drop out of the presidential race, despite a growing chorus of Republicans pushing him to do so.
Trump apologized for his remarks, saying in his apology that former president Bill Clinton had made worse remarks towards women.
His running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said he was “offended” by Trump’s remarks and canceled plans to represent him at a political event on Saturday, according to CNN.