Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been a vocal critic of the president since the 2016 campaign. | Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday via Getty Images 2020 elections Kasich says there's 'no path' to the White House for him in 2020

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Friday quashed the idea of him launching a presidential run, arguing there is “no path” to the White House for him in 2020.

“I don't see a way to get there,” said Kasich, one of Trump’s challengers in the 2016 Republican primary. The former governor claimed on CNN that 90 percent of GOP voters support the president’s reelection efforts.


So far, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is the lone Republican mounting a challenge against Trump for the GOP nomination in 2020. Names floated as other potential contenders include Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and, recently, Rep. Justin Amash, the Michigan Republican who called on Congress to launch an impeachment inquiry into the president.

At a conference in Detroit on Thursday, Kasich did not completely rule out the possibility of running in 2020. “I can’t predict what’s going to happen in my life,” he said, according to The Detroit News.

Kasich for months has said “all of my options are still on the table.” Last year, he said he was “very seriously” considering a presidential bid.

But the Ohio Republican said Friday he’s “never gotten involved in a political race where I didn't think I could win.”

“Right now, there's no path,” he added. “But we never know what the future is going to bring.”

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Kasich has been a vocal critic of the president since the 2016 campaign, becoming a leader in the anti-Trump contingent of the GOP since the election.

This has sparked the ire of the president, who has taken a number of jabs at Kasich and in December said he hopes Republicans challenge him in 2020.

“I think I have the greatest base in the history of politics,” Trump said at the time.

Kasich carried Ohio by more than 200,000 votes in the 2016 primary but fell flat elsewhere. The former governor has presented himself as a more moderate Republican.

On Friday, Kasich gave the Trump administration some credit for the country’s strong economy but criticized him for his handling of major issues, including the president’s recent decision to impose tariffs on Mexico in attempt to improve border security.

“The single biggest thing they did that made sense was to deregulate a lot of things, which the Obama administration was regulatory heavy,” Kasich said. “That has really worked. But you look at the chaos in the trade area, you look at the overhang of debt. These things — somebody’s going to have to deal with them at some point.”