Kasich jokes: I get Rand 'confused' with Ron
Asked by CNN's Gloria Borger about Paul's comments that governors who expanded Medicaid under Obamacare think that "money grows on trees," Kasich replied, "You mean Senator Ron Paul?"
When Borger insisted she meant the younger Paul, Kasich joked that they were hard to tell apart.
"Oh, I get them confused sometimes," he said, laughing. "Ron and Rand, and I served with Ron."
Pressed by Borger on how he would respond to Paul's critique, Kasich said he had little to say to the senator. He suggested maybe Kentucky's residents weren't dealing with poverty or hunger the way those in other states are.
"I'm not sure I would say much to him. I mean I don't know what he, you know maybe he doesn't work in Kentucky, maybe everybody's fine, maybe there aren't people who are suffering these problems," he said in the interview, which airs in full on Sunday's "State of the Union."
Paul, gearing up for his own presidential campaign, has sought to distance himself from his more libertarian father, who's known for his controversial remarks and stances on hot-button issues.
READ: Poll says Rand Paul tied with Hillary Clinton in two swing states
But Paul has been one of the loudest voices in his party opposed to states' expansion of Medicaid using subsidies from Obamacare. A number of other potential Republican presidential contenders, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, refused to expand the program.
Still, others including Kasich, who's seen as a possible contender himself agreed to take the federal funds to expand coverage.
He's forcefully defended the move, and recently said if the Supreme Court strikes down the subsidies Ohio would have to "figure something out" to provide coverage to Ohioans. And in his interview with Borger, Kasich noted that his state's economy seems to be doing just fine.
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Kasich jokes: I get Rand 'confused' with Ron