Debate and whether Hillary Clintons troubles could entice a new rival into the democratic race. All right now on Fox News Sunday. Hello again from fox news in washington now just four days before the first Republican Debate. This thursday, august 6th, the huge field of gop candidates will gather in cleveland for fox News Facebook debate night. First event at 5 00 p. M. Eastern and main prime time debate with top ten candidates on 9 00 p. M. Eastern on fox news channel. Were talking today with two candidates vying to be on the stage. First, the governor of ohio john kasich, riding a postannouncement bump in the polls. Governor, welcome back to Fox News Sunday. Thank you, chris. Good to be with you. In the real clear politics average of recent polls, youre in ninth place now at 3. 5 and latest of the polls youre doing better than that. As the governor of the state where the debate is going to be held, how important for you to be on the stage in prime Time Thursday night and frankly how embarrassing if you dont make it. First of all theres nothing wrong with a person being embarrassed who has been in the spotlight for a long time. I rather not be embarrassed, chris but life is short and the more we keep our feet on the ground the better it is. In terms of being on the stage in that big debate, i would like to be there but this debate comes six months before the selection of a single delegate and what ive been focusing on is out there in the grassroots and as i think you know, im now running third in New Hampshire, which is a very important part of my political future and well see what happens. I would like to be there. And we just have to wait and see how all these polls work out. As it relates to the polls, im governor of ohio. I wasnt traveling around the country trying to make a name for myself. I was just trying to take care of ohio. Not Many National reporters wanted to come out here and cover something that was going well. If we had been flowblowing things up, they would have been here. Everything is fine. Ive enjoyed being out with the folks. You seem determined not to comment on donald trump but your top political strategist sent out a tweet this week. He wrote imagine a nascar driver mentally preparing for a race knowing one of the drivers will be drunk. Thats what prepping for this debate is like. Is that how you think of donald trump . He wont be sending anymore tweets like that chris okay. Thats not the way we operate and were basically sort of like the engine that just keeps going along. You know, we dont appreciate stuff like that. I dont think youll see anymore of that. In terms of commenting on other people, i have enough to do to get my message out to people and if im spending my time talking about somebody else or Something Else like i am right now im not telling you how my defense experience or the fact we turned ohio around from 8 billion in the hole to 2 billion in the black. The jobs. Thats what i need to tell people. I find when im out in the town halls and ive done a bunch in New Hampshire, people ask questions and they want answers and they want to see experience and they want to see a record and who you are. Why would i talk about somebody else . I might want to talk about you and toughness of your questioning. That would probably get applause if i criticize you. You want to go after me in the debate, go ahead. Ill ask you about your record right now. You would agree thats the main thing youre running on is your record of achievement. Thats the main thing. What the heck else would you run on . You run on this is going to be a tough debate if i cant get the question out. Lets talk about your record. Turning an 8 billion shortfall into a 2 billion surplus unemployment down from 9. 1 to 5. 2 . And the top income tax rate has been lowered from 6. 2 to 4. 9 . But the Cato Institute gave you a d on its governments report card noting the budget rose 13. 6 in 2014 and that over your time as governor, government jobs have increased 3 . A d, sir . I dont know who these folks are. Another washington group. We have the lowest number of state employees in 30 years and in addition to that, our budget overall is growing by about 2 or 3 and our medicaid growth has gone from 9 when i came in to less than 4 and no one has been left behind. We havent had to cut benefits or throw anybody off the rolls. Its washington. Chris, heres the thing. They said he wont get in the race. Then i did. Then they said, okay if he gets in, he wont be able to raise the money. Then i did. Then they said hes getting in too late. Now they say what a brilliant move. I pay no attention to folks in washington. I want to move power and money and influence out of that town back to where we live like normal americans. Let me pick up on another issue that cato and a lot of other conservatives dont like and that is that you push obamacares expansion of medicaid through in your state of ohio over the very strong objections of the republican controlled state legislature in ohio and here are the critics complaints. They say that ohio will be on the hook longterm after federal aid begins to run out. They also say that you were one of the few republican governors to give president obama bipartisan cover on obamacare. Your answer . First of all im opposed to obamacare and ive been clear on that. Medicare was expanded by Ronald Reagan three or four times. In addition to that instead of locking people in prison who have mental health, we give them treatment and keep them out and that saves us money. Instead of putting the drug addicted in prison and having them be released and back in prison, we treat them and we have a 10 recidivism rate for those people drug addicted and for working poor instead of us paying uncompensated care when they go in there and they dont have insurance, they now have health care so theyre not sicker and more expensive. We not only save money by doing this, chris, but at the same time frankly morally we let people get up on their feet and have a great life or a better life and let me say to you that conservative principles mean that in the United States of america every once in a while we give a helping hand to somebody to get out of the ditch so they can live their god given purpose. That doesnt mean we just give them a handout. We also expect personal responsibility once we help them. I dont know what all these folks are saying. Again, our medicaid growth rate some of the lowest. In regard to medicaid, two points, we bring our money back to treat people here in ohio because the federal government has no money and secondly i would take a Medicaid Program and i would block grant it empowering states to deal with those who are sick and poor in the way that they can so its not a one size fits all mentality. It all fits together. Remember i was one of the architects of the last time we balanced the budget in washington and we had surpluses for four years and we cut taxes and the economy was growing. What is there not to like about that . I dont know. I want to pick up you talked about the moral component of the argument and you have made an argument with me and you also made it last year at a big conservative donors conference. I want to put up on the screen what you said. A woman was questioning you about expansion of medicaid. You said i dont know about you, lady, but when i get to the pearly gates im going to have an answer for what ive done for the poor. Now, reportedly some people walked out after you said that and the criticism was that john kasich thinks that youre not a good christian unless you support massive increase in government. First of all, its not about being a christian. The jewish and christian principles of this country say basically the same thing chris. Look im a public official. But im also i think a leader in terms of how this country ought to move. My sense is that it is important that we do not ignore the poor the widowed, the disabled. I just think thats the way america is. And i think theres a moral aspect to it. In my state theres not only a moral aspect where some peoples lives have been saved because of what weve done, but also saves us money in the long run and i never said that to that woman. I said it to ohio speaker of the house. By the way, the Legislature Just reaffirmed the expansion of medicaid in this last budget in overwhelming numbers. So we could never have gotten this done if leaders hadnt supported it its bringing our money back to solve our problems. Bring our money back to solve our problems. Same thing we should do in education, we should do in job training, in highway funding. This is the way we need to be moving. Let me pick up on another issue that some conservatives have with you. Back in 1994 you voted for the assault weapons ban that bill clinton was proposing which earned you an n from nra and they were so upset that when you first ran for governor in 2010, they actually endorsed your democratic opponent against you. Now, your nra rating now is straight a but what would you say thats called improvement. The comeback kid. What would you say particularly in a place like New Hampshire where hunting is a big deal to gun rights advocates who are going to say, look im not sure i like a guy who at one time had an f from the nra. That was an assault weapon ban. What i learned from that experience is you write a law and it doesnt have any meaning. Im a Second Amendment advocate. I dont believe the government should take guns from people. I think people have a right to be armed and, look thats what weve done in ohio and i think theyve been very pleased with what ive been able to do. Its not about pleasing them. Its keeping the Second Amendment and allowing legitimate gun owners to be able to do what they want which is exercise their Constitutional Rights so people need to worry about that. Do you regret your vote for the assault weapons ban in 94 . Going back and regretting, i look at it now and we were adding a law that had no impact. Thats never smart to do. Finally, in your announcement a couple weeks ago at your allah matter alma mater, ohio state university, you were running to restore the american dream. Realistically how much can a president do . I think a president can do a couple things just like i have as governor. That is to create Economic Growth first and foremost by getting government to work in terms of respecting job creators and job creation. But secondly, i think its also a communication both in policy and the way in which you conduct yourself that everyone no matter who you are if youre poor, minority community, if you have been disabled, if you have had real problems, that you also have a right to share in the american dream. If youre working and youre poor, you lost your job i saw a guy in New Hampshire, 55 years old, engineer lost his job, working in a sandwich shop. We want to give people like that hope. Weve been through tougher times before. We will fix this. The president can lead but fundamentally America Works from the bottom up. The folks to the top not from the top down. My dad was a mailman. I always believed that. Governor kasich thank you. Thanks for talking with us and well see you somewhere on some stage thursday in cleveland. Look forward to it. Up next, another candidate hoping to be part of the prime time debate. Former Texas Governor rick perry. Will he get a chance this week to make up for some shaky moments in the last campaign . Daughter do you and mom still have money with that broker . Dad yeah, 20 something years now. Thinking about what you want to do with your money . Daughter looking at options. What do you guys pay in fees . Dad i dont know exactly. Daughter if youre not happy do they have to pay you back . Dad it doesnt really work that way. Daughter you sure . Vo are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed . Wealth management at charles schwab. A look outside the beltway the site of this weeks first republican president ial debate. One of the candidates hoping for a prime time spot on that debate stage is former Texas Governor rick perry. Governor, welcome back to Fox News Sunday. Good to be with you chris. We were just talking about this with john kasich in the real clear politics average of the most recent polls, hes in ninth place. Youre in 11th place with 2. 2 support, which means that you are right on the bubble for making the top ten and the prime time fox debate thursday night. Honestly, sir, how damaging to your candidacy if youre not on the stage 9 00 p. M. That night . Well i full well expect to be on the stage. As a lot of people recognize, this is not one shot pony here. Weve got a full campaign in front of us. Lots of things going on. Iowa New HampshireSouth Carolina, we spent a lot of time in those states. How you do in iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina can going to have more to do with who is going to be the nominee than whether somebody makes a debate presentation on the 6th of august of 2015. Lets talk about debates. I think you will agree that you did not do well in debates last time, which raises the question whether its this debate or some of the others, arent they more important to you than they are perhaps to any other candidate so that you can show that you are not rick perry of 2012, but a new and improved rick perry. Youre kind in that observation. Yeah, i think a lot of people are waiting for that 6th of august debate. They know our record. They know that this is a governor that is overseeing the 12th largest economy in the world for the last 14 years and from 07 to 2014, created 1. 5 million jobs while the rest of the country lost 400,000 jobs. They know that were socially conservative. All of those things have penetrated through. They want to see a debate performance that is more than passable. I will suggest to you thats exactly what theyll get. So what are you doing how are you preparing and is it in the back of your mind i cant afford another oops moment . Well i have not made it any secret that my preparation has been substantially more than what it was four years ago. We got in this process late. We had major back surgery. We were not prepared physically or mentally and it reflected that. The preparation is going to be very reflective of what weve done. I think people will see a very, very focused, disciplined candidate and you add that to the record and i feel very comfortable about where we are at this particular moment in time. We pointed out in the last segment that governor kasich has just steadfastly refused to engage on the question of donald trump but quite frankly you and donald trump have really gone at each other. Hes suggested that you should take an iq test. We went down to the border and said you did a terrible job managing that border when you were governor of texas and he said this. Take a look. I see rick perry the other day. Hes doing very poorly in the polls. He put glasses on so people will think hes smart. It just doesnt work. Why do you think trump is picking on you, sir . You know, its really interesting. Youre wearing glasses now too from time to time and i think youre still a pretty smart guy. I responded to that with the appropriate i said, lets go have a pullup contest and get this over with. I think that was about the same level of which hes focused on. Heres the more important issue. Donald trump wants to be commander in chief of the United States and he does not know that it is the federal governments responsibility to secure the border. Its not the state of texas or any other states responsibility. Now, what the state of texas did after i looked the president in the eye and told him last summer if you dont secure the border, mr. President , texas will. And we sent our texas ranger recon teams and park and wildlife wardens and put them there and our National Guard to be force multipliers and saw a 74 decrease in the number of apprehensions. I dont know what donald trump is paying attention to. Let me tell you that is the success that americans are looking for and when im the president of the United States the will to secure that border will reside in the oval Office Every Day and the border with mexico and the United States will be secure. You have done more than just fire back on trump on the issue of immigration. You devoted a major speech to donald trump in which you said you accused him of a toxic mix of mean spiritedness and nonsense. You didnt stop there. Here you are. Let no one be mistaken. Donald trumps candidacy is a cancer on conservatism and it must be clearly diagnosed, excised and discarded. How do you explain 20 of Republican Voters saying they would support donald trump for president. How do you explain that and what would you say to those voters . I would say those issues that hes talked about, weve been talking about for a long time. This is an individual who has extraordinary celebrity. Im not going to be quiet, chris when donald trump shoots a bullet through john mccain and hits veterans particularly those that have been captured. Ill challenge donald trump. You go tell marcus who was captured by the taliban that he doesnt like being around people that have been captured. That is one of the low moments of this campaign from my perspective. I wont be quiet about that. Im going to clearly push back and ill push back hard because ill tell you one thing having worn the uniform of this country, i know what men and women have gone through. I wrote a letter a week from 03 through 2010 to a parent or loved one of young texan who lost their life on the war on terror. I no heknow what the course of this war is i wont let anyone belittle those individuals. Im going to stand up and pushback and ill pushback hard. Its more than these remarks that he makes. Thats a bigger critique. When you think about hes for single payer. How can anyone who is a conservative stand up and say i am for a single p