Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that Ohio Gov. John Kasich should seek the presidency in 2020, setting up a primary challenge to President Donald Trump.
"He should run in 2020, yes," Schwarzenegger, 69, told The Los Angeles Times in an interview.
The former actor backed Kasich in last year's Republican primary.
"Kasich is an extraordinary guy," Schwarzenegger said. "He’s a man of substance.
"He’s worked in Washington, he’s worked in local government, he’s worked in statewide government. He has the experience.
"He can see things. He has vision.
"He’s also a moderate," Schwarzenegger continued. "He’s a tough Republican and very fiscally conservative, but he also at the same time loves helping people."
Kasich said Tuesday that he was not "running for anything," Cincinnati.com reports, but he begins a tour in three weeks to promote his new book — "Two Paths: America Divided or United."
Under Ohio law, he is barred from seeking re-election.
Kasich and Schwarzenegger have known each other for years, spawned by the former California governor's "Arnold Classic" bodybuilding competitions held annually in Ohio.
After Kasich dropped out of the Republican nomination race last year, Schwarzenegger still voted for him in the California primary a month later — in a pointed snub to Trump, who was the presumptive GOP nominee.
In addition, Trump and Schwarzenegger have slammed each other on various issues since his the president entered the White House in January — even over the former governor's role when he hosted "The Celebrity Apprentice."
"I know him very well," he told the Times. "I spent time with him throughout the decades.
"We always had a good relationship.
"I just think that what ticked him off obviously was when I said, 'Look, I'm not going to vote for you.'"
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