CLEVELAND, Ohio — President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Friday at the White House with Ohio Gov. John Kasich — but neither is admitting to seeking the other’s company.
After CNN broke news of the unexpected visit Monday night, a source close to Kasich told cleveland.com that the Trump administration had summoned the governor.
And in a response to a Twitter user’s question about the meeting, Kasich political adviser John Weaver replied that Kasich agreed to go “because the president asked.”
@Motoconomist @CNN because the president asked.
— John Weaver (@JWGOP) February 21, 2017
But that was not the story White House press secretary Sean Spicer offered reporters Tuesday. Spicer said Kasich “has reached out on multiple occasions to meet with the president.” When pressed on whether the Friday sit-down was Kasich’s idea, Spicer replied: “Yes.”
Weaver returned to Twitter after Spicer’s briefing to dispute the characterization.
Kasich, Weaver wrote, “respects office of the President & is happy to meet with Trump at the president’s repeated requests.” He closed with a “#TwoPaths” hashtag — a reference to a Kasich mantra that emphasizes the differences the governor has with the president.
@JohnKasich respects office of the President & is happy to meet with Trump at the president’s repeated requests. #TwoPaths
— John Weaver (@JWGOP) February 21, 2017
The conflicting stories add another wrinkle to what has hardly been a cordial relationship between Trump and Kasich, rivals in last year’s Republican presidential primaries.
Kasich kept his distance during last year’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, despite being the host governor. He refused to endorse Trump and instead voted for Arizona Sen. John McCain. And he has repeatedly criticized Trump’s divisive policies and tone. His forthcoming book and a political organization launched by Weaver and other allies are expected to reinforce the contrast and fuel speculation that Kasich could challenge Trump in 2020.
Spicer, at his televised briefing, described the meeting as an opportunity to find common ground. Trump, he said, “has shown through the transition and since his time in office that he wants to meet with anybody that can help move this country forward and share in his vision.
“I think that includes people who are with him, who are not with him, who are on the other side of the aisle, who are independents, union workers, business leaders,” Spicer continued.
“Now that he is president … he understands that he’s the president for every American, and he’s talked consistently about having a united country. And you do that by bringing people together, whether or not they agree with you on every issue or one or two issues. But if there’s common ground that can be found to move the country forward, then great. And I think so many of the president’s priority issues are issues that Ohio is dealing with and that he wants to make sure he can continue to work with Governor Kasich so that every American benefits.”
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