WASHINGTON -- Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue is not running for president. He's not being sought out as a vice president. But the freshman is influencing the process, he says, in a series of chats with presidential hopefuls -- including Donald Trump.
Perdue said Trump called him Wednesday, and the billionaire is one of several candidates to seek Perdue out by phone or in person at conferences such as the Americans For Prosperity event in Ohio last month, where, Perdue pointed out, he was the only non-candidate senator to speak.
Much has been made of the rise of Trump, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and businesswoman Carly Fiorina as the political newcomers in the presidential field. Perdue says his jean-jacketed businessman image started it all:
"These candidates are listening (to me). You hear 'em talking about being the outsider now all of a sudden. Where did that come from? We've been screaming about that for two years."
Perdue said the candidates seek him out for advice on winning Georgia, now that the state is part of the critical March 1 "SEC Primary." He said he urges them to talk more about the national debt, and he expressed some chagrin that the issue has not been at the forefront of the debate thus far.
Perdue did not reveal too much about his chat with Trump, but he said his candidate talks are similar in their focus on the debt and running as an outsider. He tells the presidential hopefuls an oft-repeated story of an elderly woman who said he had her vote simply for never having held elected office. He also won't be endorsing any time soon:
"I'm not reaching out to them. They're calling us. And that's the impact that I'm trying to have, is to have some influence on them prioritizing these crises that the people of Georgia, really, elected me to scream about."
Here's more from our premium edition on the tea party rally against the Iran deal on Wednesday, at which Trump and Perdue both spoke:
Inside the dome, Republicans clashed on how to move forward on a "motion of disapproval" that appears doomed to a filibuster by Senate Democrats.
President Barack Obama and the deal's supporters say it delays Iran's ability to acquire nuclear weapons and is the best — perhaps only — alternative to war. Trump not-so-politely disagreed.
"I've been doing deals for a long time," the real estate tycoon began. "Never, ever, ever in my life have I seen any transaction so incompetently negotiated as our deal with Iran." He added: "We are led by very, very stupid people."
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