Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the most recent addition to the 16-candidate GOP presidential field, said in an interview aired Sunday he believes in free trade, but not at all costs.
Kasich admits to being a supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement even though it cost jobs in his state.
"The interesting thing is, there are now some car companies talking about moving things to Mexico and they're citing NAFTA, and I'm going to dig into that, Kasich told
"Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd. But, he added, "By and large, open trade is good for us."
Still, he added, "I think that we have in some ways been saps. I have a friend that ran a steel company. I said, do you think, Koreans, for example, are dumping material and destroying our jobs? He said, yes. Why don't we do something about it? He says, it takes two years to get a remedy. … That is baloney."
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While he is for free trade, Kasich said, "I am for clamping down when the United States worker gets shafted because somebody is cheating on a trade agreement."
Kasich said the country's problems can't be fixed with "hot rhetoric" or just one party, and his problem-solving abilities are what make him the best choice.
"We're not running for class president. We're running to be commander-in-chief, the leader of the United States of America. Grow up," he said.
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