Donald Trump's puzzling Ohio convention strategy

CLEVELAND - This is not the convention Donald Trump needed to have in Ohio.

The GOP nominee entered the swing state tied with Democrat Hillary Clinton. His opportunity: a chance to win over skeptical suburban Buckeyes who had supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich for president but don’t want to back Clinton. He had four days of nonstop media coverage to woo them in whatever way his campaign saw fit.

Instead, before the work day started on Monday morning, Trump’s campaign chief lit into Kasich. Later, Trump himself joined in. Day after day, it didn’t stop.

Trump is scheduled to speak Thursday during a program his campaign has themed "Make America one again," something his Ohio effort desperately needs to see.

But as the convention opened Monday night, Ohio’s GOP leaders already were deflated. By midweek, GOP operatives who had agreed to help with Trump’s Ohio efforts were reconsidering. Trump’s rift with Kasich had become a feud, spilling over into his campaign’s relationship with Ohio Republicans and calling into question his ability to carry the ultimate GOP swing state.

“We’re dealing with a presidential candidate that is openly hostile toward the governor,” Matt Borges, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, told The Enquirer. “If he continues to do this, he’s going to lose.”

Why that is entirely plausible: This is Ohio, the swing state every Republican president has needed to reach the White House. We say it a lot, but there’s a reason.

Regardless of how Trump and his aides feel about Ohio’s GOP officials, the fact remains: They need Ohio and its 18 electoral votes if they want to put Trump in the White House. They are alienating a lot of people who could help them.

Early this week, “I was ready to go out and say: ‘I’m done’ ” with helping Trump, Borges said. When his chance came to address a couple thousand Ohioans at a Kasich bash Tuesday, Borges couldn’t muster a celebratory tone. “I’m just trying to get through the next three days,” he told them.

Borges, who is also a Kasich adviser, had tried to help Trump. He helped the campaign hire the GOP operative who last won a presidential or Senate campaign in Ohio. He had lined up two political veterans, including one from Kasich’s campaign, to coordinate party efforts with Trump’s campaign.

By midweek, it all seemed pointless. The Kasich staffer, Tim Biggam, had told Borges he wasn’t interested in helping the Trump campaign any more. The other staffer, Mitt Romney campaign veteran John Roscoe, was taking a few days to think it over. A worn-out Borges said he would try to find someone else, that the Republicans can recover from Manafort’s mistake and this whole week.

“I’d also say that you lay down your sabers at some point in time,” Borges said wryly, hours after Trump’s co-chairman in New Hampshire called for a boycott of a Kasich event with his delegation.

To some, this whole thing is Kasich’s fault. The Ohio governor has declined to endorse his former presidential rival and participate in the GOP convention. Rather than stay away, he has held his own events with delegates from around the country, while advisers talk of a need to keep his name in Republicans’ minds in case he runs for president again. To get that chance, Trump would have to lose. It is awkward.

Kasich also arrived at the party in his honor Tuesday by ascending an escalator at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, intentionally evoking Trump’s descending an escalator at Trump Tower in New York City to launch his campaign. He also recorded a video message about the right way to make America great. He also gave speeches criticizing most of Trump’s stances.

But Trump and his advisers knew Kasich would do most of this. He had talked about it for weeks. So why did Paul Manafort, the experienced campaign aide hired to bring order and discipline to Trump’s campaign, choose to open the convention week with repeated criticism of Kasich? Why not focus on … Trump?

On Thursday – one year from the date John Kasich launched his ill-fated presidential bid – Trump plans to accept the GOP nomination.

But in many ways, it doesn’t matter what Trump says Thursday night. He’s already said too much this week. He can’t fix the rift with Ohio leaders with one speech.

Will Trump risk making it worse and use his speech to attack Kasich? After all, he has already called into “The O’Reilly Factor” – interrupting coverage of his own convention – to criticize Kasich, and tweeted about him upon his arrival in Ohio Wednesday.

Borges and Trump spoke by phone Wednesday night, but Borges declined to discuss the specifics of their conversation.

Here’s the thing: Many in Ohio’s Republican delegation would like to support their nominee, but Trump’s decision to bash their popular governor hasn’t helped.

Several Ohio delegates even jumped to Trump's defense when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas – with Kasich, the other last man standing in the GOP primary – used his speech at the convention Wednesday night conspicuously to avoid endorsing Trump. He called for people to turn out in November – not to vote for Trump, but to vote their consciences up and down the ticket.

“I’m disappointed he didn’t further embrace the nominee,” Alex Triantafilou, Hamilton County Republican Party chairman, said in a text message. Then, in a statement that some could view as applying  to Kasich, he said: “It’s time to unite this party. Those on the sidelines biding time for 2020 are dead wrong. I love Ted Cruz, but he needs to get with the party now.”

Even without the convention-hall fireworks, it can be awkward being a Kasich supporter in the Party of Trump. You cheer when others are silent in Quicken Loans Arena. You sit when others stand and dance. You don’t have any Trump posters at your hotel. You barely mention his name at breakfast events.

Delegates know their guy lost the GOP presidential nomination, and they don’t want to be sore losers. Some want Kasich to endorse Trump and put this feud to rest.

Many of the delegates, and the everyday Republicans they represent, are looking for a reason to support Trump, even if it’s simply because he’s not Clinton. On the eve of the convention, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine talked about the benefits of choosing conservative U.S. Supreme Court judges. Even as the Kasich-Trump feud escalated, Cincinnati Councilwoman Amy Murray liked the convention speeches themed around border security, military action and support for police.

Even Borges said the vice presidential choice of evangelical, conservative Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will help Trump in Ohio.

“We’ve reached out to many county chairs across Ohio, and virtually all we’ve spoken with are excited and eager to help the Trump-Pence ticket win in November,” said Bob Paduchik, Trump’s state director in Ohio, who ran the successful Ohio campaigns of George W. Bush and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman.

Trump had made progress with the Kasich allies too. Take Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, who lavished praise on Trump after participating in the billionaire's meeting last month with evangelical leaders.

This week derailed all of that.

“To come out on the first day of the convention and blast our leader is incomprehensible,” Gonidakis said. “For a man who's built an empire, he truly lacks political common sense. He's almost daring the Ohio delegation to walk away, metaphorically.

“John Kasich is our leader, and we are going to stand beside and behind him all the way. We can support both Trump and Kasich, but he is forcing our hand.”

Staff writer Jessie Balmert contributed to this report.