John Kasich in CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2018

On Principles & Values: The press is a critical foundation of freedom--not the enemy

KASICH: We have to get our facts right. We have to seek the truth. And if we have a difference between liberals, conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, we can mediate those differences, if we can agree to the basic facts.

Q: A new poll showed only 38% of Republican voters say the news media is "an important part of democracy." 51% of Republican voters agree with President Trump's view that the press is an "enemy of the American people." This is your party.

KASICH: The press is such a critical foundation of freedom in our society and all over the world. The first thing that people do when they want to assume power, these autocrats in Central Europe, they shut the press down. And here's the question people have to ask themselves. If you don't want to trust the press, who are you going to trust? A politician? I mean, that's the last group of people I would trust, are politicians.

On Principles & Values: I didn't leave the Republican Party; it left me

KASICH: Here's what I do believe: You have a department store that's red and a department store that's blue, and neither of them right now are providing products to the great middle. And you know what happens? That's how another store opens up in the neighborhood.

Q: Are you going to open up that store?

KASICH: I'm still a Republican. Look, I didn't leave the Republican Party; the Republican Party left me. In my state, we have balanced budgets, a surplus; we're up a half-a-million jobs. And then people say, "well, Kasich is not a conservative." What does that mean? Does that mean I have to be anti-immigrant, anti-trade, in favor of debt? I mean, party, come on home. We're pro-immigrant. We're pro-trade. We're pro-growth. We should care about people from top to bottom, not just those at the top, but everybody. I can bring that party back. That's what I'm going to do in one way or another.

On Foreign Policy: Engage the world, instead of acting unilaterally

KASICH: The most important thing is that you have a national security team that can give you a diversity of opinions. When I run my government here in Ohio, I don't want everybody to think the same way. And we learned that all the way back when John Kennedy was president. It's a problem called groupthink. A decision-maker needs to hear a variety of opinions. And the most important thing we need to do is engage the world, not fight with them over trade, not yell and scream at them, not act unilaterally, not withdraw from the Paris accord, you know, like we did, not, you know, starting with the sanctions against China without having the rest of the world, to go unilaterally on Iran. All it does is isolate us. And America cannot build a wall around itself. The rest of the world in the Western part of the world depends on us and our values and being the strong leader.

On Gun Control: Significant changes, while we protect the Second Amendment

KASICH: I really do believe that. I think the people do want changes here. I think there's three kinds of people who are involved in this gun debate, those that want no changes on guns--believe me, they're there and they're strong--and those people that think there ought to be significant changes, even while we protect the Second Amendment. And the third group are a bunch of politicians who are afraid of their own shadows. But the fact of the matter is, it's a massive effort here. If we can keep the pressure on, we're not going to change everything overnight, but you can get significant changes. And I hope so. And if they do not bring about change, I think people should be held absolutely accountable at the ballot box, and no question about it.