Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort talks to reporters on the floor of the Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena, Sunday, July 17, in Cleveland. | AP Photo Trump, Ohio GOP at war as Cleveland convention begins Paul Manafort criticized Ohio Gov. John Kasich earlier Monday, and state party officials were not pleased to hear it.

CLEVELAND — Donald Trump’s team came to Ohio and declared war on Gov. John Kasich — an approach top-ranking state GOP officials say hurts Trump's chances of beating Hillary Clinton in this crucial swing state in November.

Kasich, a Republican and Trump’s former presidential rival, has steadfastly refused to endorse the real estate mogul, even as the Republican National Convention kicks off in his state. Monday morning, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort accused Kasich of “embarrassing his state” for declining to get behind Trump, making that charge on MSNBC and reiterating his criticism on several other morning shows.


In an interview with POLITICO, Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges sharply rebuked Manafort, suggesting that such comments make it less likely that Trump will carry Ohio, a critical swing state where Trump's contest with Clinton is very tight so far, according to the polling averages.

“He’ll need to do better if we’re going to carry Ohio in the fall,” Borges said.

Ohio is one of the few bright spots for Trump on the battleground map, and Trump is heavily reliant on the Kasich-aligned state GOP for a ground game operation here, making an open war between the two camps even more problematic.

But on Monday, tensions boiled over into the open.

“All along, we’ve been looking for a more unifying message coming from the Trump campaign," said Borges, a close ally of Kasich’s. "And then he came to Cleveland this morning as we’re lifting the curtain on one of the crown jewels of the Republican Party and the effort we had in Ohio to bring this convention here, he decided to go in a direction that was obviously calculated — he did it on all the shows — and he’s factually incorrect.”

Asked how the state party would move forward in their partnership with the Trump campaign, given the outbreak of hostilities, Borges responded, “I’m sure they’ll recognize their mistake and move forward.”

“My thought is, we’ll have a conversation at some point in time, I’m sure he’ll acknowledge he was wrong," Borges said.

Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Trump, didn’t respond when asked whether Manafort has plans to apologize. His remarks came several hours after Roger Stone, a Trump ally, tweeted out a lewd comment about Kasich.

“@JohnKasich is a jerk-off stoner who will never be president,” Stone tweeted at 3:43 A.M.

At a breakfast gathering of the Ohio delegation Monday morning, some in the room were on board with Trump, while others — including many who backed Kasich in the primary — were still weighing whether to support the presumptive nominee. But there was near-universal agreement that Kasich should be free to make his own decision about an endorsement, without pressure from the Trump campaign, and a circling-of-the-wagons effect unfolded as Manafort’s comment rippled through the event.

Borges made it a point to note, in front of the entire breakfast, that “we love our governor,” as he tweeted out additional condemnations of Manafort’s remarks.

“He’s very well-respected in Ohio, and many of us will accept whatever conclusion he comes to,” said state Sen. Kevin Bacon, who represents the Columbus area, of Kasich’s influence.

Regarding Manafort’s comments, Bacon continued, “Clearly it’s not the way, definitely it’s not the way to win over Ohio. For the Trump campaign to do that is a huge mistake. They have to come in, talk to Ohioans, warm up to Ohioans, not demonize people who don’t agree with them. For them to lash out at Kasich not only was poor strategy, but it wasn’t good common sense for them to begin with.”

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, who is not a close ally to Kasich — he first endorsed Marco Rubio in the primary, bucking the bulk of his state’s establishment, and later endorsed Trump — still said Monday that Kasich was entitled to stay on the sidelines.

“I do respect his opinion and his freedom to make a decision within his own timetable,” Mandel said.

Tracie Sanchez, a small-business owner in attendance at the breakfast from Lima, Ohio, described herself as “absolutely” a Trump supporter. But she, too, took issue with Manafort’s remarks.

“No, I don’t think it’s right to say he’s embarrassing the state of Ohio, I don’t think he’s embarrassing the state by any means,” she said of Kasich. “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion.”

In the interview, Borges said he didn’t want to “speculate” on what would happen to the relationship between the campaign and the state party, if the Trump campaign didn’t make an effort to deescalate criticism.

But he indicated that it’s an open question as to whether the real estate mogul can win the state without the support of Kasich. “We’ll see,” Borges responded initially, as he repeatedly pointed to Kasich's high approval ratings in Ohio.

Asked whether Trump could win without the support of the Ohio GOP, Borges continued, “Could he win without the governor’s support? I certainly think that is possible. If they choose to continue on this divisive type of message, it’s going to make things more difficult.”