“He's hurting his state and embarrassing his state," Donald Trump's campaign chairman says of John Kasich's decision to skip the GOP convention. | Getty Trump campaign: Kasich 'embarrassing his state' by skipping convention

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is “making a big mistake” by skipping the Republican National Convention this week in Cleveland, Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said Monday morning.

Kasich, a former presidential candidate whose only primary victory was in his home state, is one of many Republicans staying away from the RNC. The poor attendance from big GOP names has resulted in a speakers lineup that some have criticized as lacking star power.


“Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski asked Manafort about just that, sharing with him that her “very critical takeaway this morning is that they couldn’t get anybody to speak.”

Manafort replied that Brzezinski was “wrong, wrong, wrong” and said that “except for one or two,” most major Republicans would be at the convention.

Brzezinski elicited a laugh from the live audience in Cleveland when she followed up by asking about the whereabouts of Kasich, prompting Manafort to reiterate his “except for one or two” line.

“You know what, he's making a big mistake,” Manafort said. “He's hurting his state and embarrassing his state, frankly. But most of the Republicans who aren't coming are people who have been part of the past. And people who are part of the future of the Republican Party are, frankly, going to be here participating in the program.”