Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry wishes fellow Republican candidate Carly Fiorina had been at the helm for negotiations with Iran instead of Secretary of State John Kerry.
During Thursday’s “happy hour” debate, featuring the seven GOP presidential contenders who failed to secure a spot in the prime-time debate, Perry was asked by Fox News host Martha MacCallum how the United States should position itself with Iran, noting that Tehran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism but Saudi Arabia has also funneled money to Islamic terrorists.
Perry responded with a promise to “tear up” the Obama administration’s agreement with Iran and said the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East need to be on the side “that keeps Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.”
“I will tell you one thing, I would a whole lot rather have had Carly Fiorina doing our negotiating over there than John Kerry,” Perry said, adding that “maybe [then] we would have gotten a deal where we didn’t give everything away.”
Prior to launching her White House bid, Fiorina served as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and an external adviser to the Central Intelligence Agency. She has previously claimed to know “more world leaders on the stage today than anyone running, with the possible exception of Hillary Clinton.”
Perry’s praise of the former CEO was a rare moment in the 2016 campaign, which has so far been dominated by quarrels between the 17 Republican presidential candidates.
