Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) had differing views on Vice President Harris and former President Trump campaigning in Texas, saying in an interview that Harris is “wasting her time” in the state, while former President Trump’s appearance is “a powerful message.”
“I think this was a good place for Donald Trump. Now, Kamala Harris is probably wasting her time in the great state of Texas,” Perry, who served as energy secretary under Trump, told NewsNation’s Blake Burman. Perry cited Trump’s energy and immigration policies as reasons for why his being in the state is beneficial.
“That’s why Donald Trump being in the state of Texas is a powerful message today,” Perry added.
Immigration and the border have been a focal point for both the Harris and Trump this election cycle, as the former president and his allies have sought to hit Democrats on the issue while the vice president has embraced restrictions at the border that previously have been eschewed by Democrats.
Burman pressed Perry on the southern border in Texas, which had experienced large waves of immigrants while Perry was in office. Burman mentioned a border bill that had been stalled in the Senate earlier this year as Trump heavily criticized it.
“Was he wrong to kill that bill?” Burman asked.
Perry was quick to come to Trump’s defense.
“I totally agree with him, because that piece of legislation, number one, it was way too late in the process to be to be pushing that forward—” Perry said.
“But you’d want the help, though, I would think, right?” Burman interjected.
“But President Trump, he stopped that. He stopped the border crossings, as well as any president history,” Perry continued.
“That’s the reason Donald Trump’s going to win, because people know that he is going to make real efforts and really stop this illegal crossing,” he added.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar, which also owns The Hill.
