Rick Perry Hits Donald Trump on Immigration, Insists He's No Conservative

Former Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, fired away at businessman Donald Trump as they ready for the first Republican presidential debate. Perry came out swinging at Trump on Thursday on immigration and insisting the celebrity businessman wasn’t a conservative. 

“Donald Trump continues to demonstrate his fundamental misunderstanding of border security,” Perry said. “Make no mistake -- border security is a federal responsibility, but when I met with President Obama last year and it became clear he would not act, I told him if he would not secure the border, Texas would. Rather than thanking Texas for stepping into a gap it shouldn’t have to fill, Mr. Trump has made clear that he believes the states should fend for themselves on border security. Not only is this wrong, it perpetuates the same failed policies that have left our southern border porous and vulnerable.

“I have a message for my fellow Republicans and the independents who will be voting in the primary process: What Mr. Trump is offering is not conservatism, it is Trump-ism – a toxic mix of demagoguery and nonsense,” Perry added. “America doesn’t need another president who pays lip service when issues of national security are at stake. America doesn’t need another president who will pass the buck on border security. We need a president who will finally act to secure the border after decades of failed leadership in Washington, D.C. And Mr. Trump has done nothing to prove that he is the president America needs.”