Republican presidential candidate and former Texas Governor Rick Perry declared that fellow presidential candidate Donald Trump “would be more comfortable with Hillary Clinton than he is running for the Republicans” on Wednesday’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” on the Fox News Channel.
Perry, after after saying that Trump’s statements have been “out of the realm of the appropriate,” stated, “this country is begging for a leader that will bring this country together, not a divider. We’ve had a divider for the last 6 1/2 years. And Americans are looking for somebody to bring this country together. And that incendiary rhetoric that you hear out of Donald Trump, whether at it’s the immigrant population in this country or whether it’s our veterans, that’s just — that’s unacceptable. And I think Americans are going to take a look at that, just as I did and say, ‘You know what, we’re not going to quietly take this. We’re going to push back, and we’re push back hard.'”
Perry also commented on Trump’s polling numbers by stating that back in 2007, Rudy Giuliani was leading in the polls at one time, and that polls “ebb and flow.” He continued that “Americans want an optimistic view about the future of this country. People want to feel good, that the best days are ahead of us. And when they see someone like Donald Trump, who spends all his time throwing invectives and being very negative to individuals, I don’t think that’s going to play well.”
Perry then stated that when Trump visits the border he learns that border security is a federal responsibility, and “Donald Trump needs a lesson in how the country is supposed to work. And the federal government is supposed to be securing that border. They have failed, and Texas has stepped in, and done the best they could do to help secure that border.”
Perry addressed accusations by Trump that he begged Trump for support and money, by denying any “begging.” And saying, “There were a lot of people that went and sat down with Donald Trump four years ago.” And “I’ve been with a lot of people before. … And when I found out about the real Donald Trump, I didn’t like what I saw, I didn’t like what I heard. And I don’t think Americans are when they really take take a — this is a guy who’s for single-payer healthcare. This is a guy who is for raising the taxes huge amounts. This is a person that I think would be more comfortable with Hillary Clinton than he is running for the Republicans.”
Perry was then asked if he would support Trump if he got the nominee, Perry initially said that there are “a lot of people” who he thinks have a better chance of being the nominee than Trump, but added, “I’m a Republican. I’m going to support the Republican nominee. And Donald Trump’s got a long way to go to make people really believe he’s a conservative. When you really look at what this guy believes. I mean, come on. Single-payer healthcare and he’s running as a Republican? Where’s that coming from, Neil?”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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