S2 Ep29: That's So Cincinnati: Gov. DeWine on his phone call with Trump, lessons from Haiti, looking back on election decision

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and two of his granddaughters were walking into a Columbus pub to grab a carryout meal on St. Patrick's Day – and what would've been Ohio's primary Election Day – when his cellphone rang. 

It was President Trump calling.

In an interview with The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast, DeWine said the president called to discuss the governor's decision to delay the election amid the coronavirus crisis.

Did he agree with your decision? 

"Well ..." DeWine paused and chuckled. 

The governor then added: "The day before, somebody asked him about the election, and he had made some comment. And then the next day, he said something that was very favorable about me, so I think that's why he called me. It was a relatively short call." 

Indeed, Trump praised DeWine in comments the president made on March 17, saying the governor is "doing a great job" and is "definitely somebody who knows what he is doing." 

On March 16, just hours before Election Day, DeWine's administration called for the polls to be closed due to a health emergency. It was a chaotic day for the governor and all of Ohio, confusion DeWine now wishes he would've avoided.

"Look, if I had it do over again, I would've done it earlier," DeWine said of deciding to delay the primary. "It was the right decision. Just didn't reach that decision, frankly, until that (March 16) morning." 

In a rare interview outside of his daily coronavirus press conferences, DeWine also discussed how he's drawn upon experiences from his personal life to help guide his decisions the past few weeks. 

In particular, Gov. DeWine has reflected the mission work he and his family have been doing in Haiti since the mid-1980s.

"Where we've learned about public health is in Haiti," DeWine said. "We saw a lot of public health issues. When AIDS didn't really have a cure, we met Paul Farmer down in Haiti – who remains a friend and someone who we learned a lot (from) in regard to pubic health. All those things were important."

Dr. Farmer is a United Nations special adviser who's spent several years working on public health issues in Haiti.

What does DeWine think about the bipartisan praise he's received from top Ohio Democrats?

What advice has his wife of 52 years given him during the crisis? 

And how much longer does DeWine think we're going to have to stay home? 

Find out the answers and much more from Gov. DeWine's chat on That's So Cincinnati. 

DeWine's interview begins at the 18:42 mark in the episode.