Is Rick Perry winning the 'Donald Trump primary'?
Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, and the rest of the GOP field already have lots of contests to worry about. There are the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, Super Tuesday votes, and so forth 鈥� all leading up to the Republican National Conventional in Tampa, Fla., next August.
And now it appears as if these weary aspirants face a new hurdle: the battle for Donald Trump鈥檚 approval.
It鈥檚 true 鈥� Texas Governor Perry had dinner with the Donald in Manhattan last week, as you may have heard. They ate at Jean-Georges, a place so exclusive the only thing it chicken-fries is your credit rating.
鈥淚t was very good. He knows his restaurants,鈥� Perry told reporters waiting outside.
(Trump knows his tenants, at least 鈥� Jean-Georges is located in a Trump building that overlooks Central Park.)
Not to be outdone 鈥� and he tries never to be outdone, like he鈥檚 running for 2012 GOP class valedictorian and is determined to have more extra credits than anybody 鈥� Mr. Romney has requested a meeting with Mr. Trump, and will meet the real estate/gambling/celebrity mogul in New York on Sept. 26, according to .
Trump has already had in Michele Bachmann 鈥� he talked with her in July.
鈥淚 was very impressed with her, and I think she鈥檚 highly underrated,鈥� Trump told Piers Morgan on CNN afterward.
And in May, Trump had pizza with Sarah Palin, who isn鈥檛 running, but might, especially if something bad happens to Perry鈥檚 poll numbers. Palin鈥檚 鈥渁 terrific woman and a terrific friend鈥� said Trump following their meal.
Why are all these Republicans beating a path to the Donald鈥檚 penthouse? We won鈥檛 call this 鈥淐elebrity Presidential Apprentice,鈥� because that鈥檚 too obvious, and we鈥檇 feel obligated to make a lame reference to Meat Loaf. So we鈥檒l frame it as the Trump primary, or the Trump caucuses, if you prefer.
What do the presidential candidates hope to gain by winning?
First, we鈥檒l start with the most obvious thing 鈥� money. Perry packaged his trip to Trumpville with fundraising in Manhattan. Do you think prospective donors might be more open to give if they knew Perry was tight with New York鈥檚 most famous comb over? They might be 鈥� and Trump and his friends could give, too.
Second, Trump himself says they want his voters. He was briefly the front-runner himself, if you remember, and he talks as if he鈥檚 something of a political boss with a following.
鈥淭he fact is, I have a lot of people that agree with what I鈥檓 saying, and all the candidates want to have that,鈥� Trump told Greta van Susteren on earlier this month.
Third, candidates may be vying for a coveted Trump endorsement. Trump鈥檚 blustery attacks on President Obama played well with many GOP conservatives, despite (or maybe because of) his questions about Mr. Obama鈥檚 birth certificate.
Whether he gets an actual endorsement or not, Perry already seems to have picked up some political pointers from Trump, writes Chris Cillizza in The Washington Post. Trump won plaudits from Republican voters for his willingness to excoriate the current president. So far, that鈥檚 Perry鈥檚 style, too.
鈥淭he seed of Trump鈥檚 idea 鈥� casting oneself as a fighter willing to take it to Obama 鈥� is now bearing fruit for Perry,鈥� last week.
Of course, Donald Trump is himself a master of the publicity universe, so it鈥檚 possible the dynamic here runs the other way. Maybe he鈥檚 using the GOP contenders to remain in the US 2012 presidential conversation.
He continues to act as if there鈥檚 a chance he might reconsider his decision to not run himself and toss his checkbook back into the arena. When Ms. van Susteren pressed him as to whether he might still be a candidate, Trump said this: 鈥淚 would be most happy if somebody came along and just did a fantastic job ... if I don鈥檛 see that happening, I will talk to you again.鈥�
We believe that鈥檚 a lock. There is a 100 percent chance that, sometime soon, for some reason or other, at a time and on a network of his choosing, Donald Trump will indeed talk again.
