Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on Sunday that fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is a distraction, pulling the focus away from important national issues.
“I don’t appreciate what he said,” Kasich told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union” regarding Trump’s criticism of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.
“We have too much to do to build this country up so that everybody feels like they’re part of it,” he said.
{mosads}“Why should I spend my time on the negative side of the street?” Kasich asked. “I don’t want to be there. I just don’t want to be negative.”
Kasich said he firmly supports equal opportunities for women.
“I actively seek out and recruit women as I think they make things better,” said Kasich.
“I’ve got strong women in my family, I’ve got strong women in my office,” he added, citing his female presidential campaign director.
Trump is publicly feuding with Kelly over her questioning in the first GOP presidential debate last week.
Kelly interrogated the New York business mogul on Aug. 6 over his past remarks concerning women.
Trump responded by questioning Kelly’s motives in an interview the following night.
“You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever,” he said on Aug. 7.
Trump was uninvited to the RedState Gathering, an annual conservative forum, on Aug. 8 in Atlanta, following the controversial remarks.
Critics have charged that the outspoken billionaire’s attacks on Kelly are crude and demeaning.
The crowded 2016 GOP field has since largely denounced Trump, sensing vulnerability in the front-runner for their party’s nomination next year.