Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared Thursday he’s going to try again for the Republican presidential nomination, and nearly every national media report that covered the announcement recalled the moment four years ago that effectively ended his first White House run.
During a 2011 GOP primary debate, Perry failed to recall the third of three federal government departments that he said wanted to shut down if he were elected president. “Oops,” Perry said in resignation, cementing a perception that he was lacking the intellectual heft necessary to be president.
“He’s still trying to live down the ‘oops’ he uttered in a brain-freeze moment during a debate in the 2012 race,” wrote the Associated Press.
The New York Times recalled that Perry “famously uttered ‘oops’ during a debate.”
“His campaign in 2012 started strong but came to be defined by his cringe-worthy ‘oops’ moment,” said ABC News.
(The Washington Examiner also posted a “flashback” video to its website on Thursday, featuring Perry’s uncomfortable moment.)
The Washington Post published a list of eight “things you need to know about Rick Perry.” The first one: “‘Oops’ is how most Americans recognize him.”
Since Perry pulled out of the 2011 presidential race, he is said to have spent much of his time reading up on both domestic and foreign policy. He also began wearing a pair of black thick-rimmed eyeglasses.
Perry currently polls in 10th place out of 14 confirmed and likely presidential candidates, according to an average of national polls by Real Clear Politics.
