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Republican presidential candidate Ohio Governor John Kasich holds a press conference with reporters during a visit to the Republican National Committee (RNC) Spring Meeting on April 20. | Getty Kasich on Cruz alliance: 'What's the big deal?'

Ohio Gov. John Kasich got testy with reporters Monday as he defended his campaign's decision to cede Indiana to Ted Cruz's campaign in exchange for New Mexico and Oregon in order to try to stop Donald Trump from getting the necessary number of delegates before the convention.

“Now, you know the fact is we don’t have all of the resources in the world, but we’re still going. And we have to husband our resources and I feel that it’s very fair for me to be able to go to areas where I can spend my resources most effectively, and the same is true for Sen. Cruz. What’s the big deal?" Kasich asked, as he sat down to eat at a Philadelphia diner, which was being broadcast on all three cable networks. "We’re going to go to a convention, it’s going to be an open convention, and then the delegates will pick that person who can do the best in the fall.”

Asked whether the tactic represents an "act of desperation," Kasich snapped at a reporter, "Me? No, I'm not desperate. Are you? 'Cause I'm not."

"If you people keep yelling at me, I'm not going to answer the question," Kasich said, as reporters asked him multiple questions at once. "Have a little bit of civility when you do your job."

Explaining how the agreement came about, Kasich said his campaign met with their Cruz counterparts, and they made a recommendation.

"I said I think it's fair because, you know, in some places we haven't spent a lot of resources," he continued. "I didn't spend resources in the state of Wisconsin. Minor amount of spending. I don't have, you know, like Daddy Warbucks behind me giving me all this money. I have to be careful about my resources, but furthermore, the reason why I'm in this race, is I'm the only one that beats Hillary Clinton."

Kasich said he would "do everything I can to make sure that we don't lose the United States Senate, the Supreme Court, the state and the local courthouse."

"I don't see this as any big deal other than the fact that I'm not going to spend resources in Indiana, he's not going to spend them in other places. So what? What's the big deal?" Kasich asked again. "

The Ohio governor did not, however, say he would be telling his Indiana supporters to vote for Cruz instead of him.

"I've never told them not to vote for me, they should vote for me. I'm not over there campaigning and spending resources. We have limited resources," he said. "Mine is like the people's campaign. I have a campaign where, you know, we've been outspent basically 50 to 1. You folks have been counting me out before I even got to New Hampshire. And now we can't jam all of you into this diner. I mean, everybody chill out."

When a reporter asked what he would tell voters who felt that such tactics made them feel as if they did not have a total say in the nominating process, Kasich was firm.

"They have a total say. Get a majority of the delegates — which people? My people don't feel that way. Who is it that feels — all you got to do is get the right number of delegates and then you win. If you can't get the right number of delegates, you don't win, and then the delegates who are selected through a democratic process get to choose," he said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Not a big deal," Kasich said later, as he began to chow down on his eggs. "But it's fun, though. You're all still here."

Chuckling, he added, "By the way, I'm having the time of my life. I met so many people here today, wonderful people in Philadelphia," remarking that he is looking forward to Tuesday's primary and campaigning later Monday night in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.