Donald Trump had nothing but the best things to say about Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) during a Texas fundraiser Tuesday when he was asked about a potential Perry Senate primary challenge to incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
“I’ve been hearing a lot about that and I don’t know if he wants to do it, but boy will he do well,” Trump said in an audio clip posted online by Democratic group Lone Star Project.
The Texas Tribune reported it had verified the audio with two additional sources and confirmed that Trump was responding to a question about Perry challenging Cruz for the Senate (no such challenge actually exists, but ever since Cruz refused to endorse Trump at the Republican national convention in Cleveland, some questions have remained about his Cruz’s 2018 re-election bid.)
“I don’t know what he’s going to do but you are one popular guy all
over, but in Texas in particular,” Trump said.
It was hardly a full-throated endorsement, but it was in line with Trump’s past behavior of weighing in on GOP primaries. A poll from Democratic polling firm PPP last week showed that Perry was leading Cruz in a one-on-one primary matchup.
