It’s becoming a bit of an old Texas showdown in the Lone Star State between President Barack Obama and Gov. Rick Perry, the conservative firebrand who’s become a leading voice of opposition to the administration on border security.
Perry plans to meet with Obama meet Wednesday to discuss the influx of unaccompanied child migrants across the nation's southern border, according to a Perry spokeswoman.
But the meeting comes after a tense back-and-forth between the two men. Late Monday, Obama – via senior adviser Valerie Jarrett - extended the offer to Perry to discuss the border situation in Dallas.
Earlier, Perry had declined to greet Obama on the tarmac in Austin when he arrives for a fundraising swing and economic event. “[A] quick handshake on the tarmac will not allow for a thoughtful discussion regarding the humanitarian and national security crises enveloping the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. I would instead offer to meet with you at any time during your visit to Texas for a substantive meeting to discuss this critical issue,” Perry said on Monday, a day after the Texas governor said the administration was either “inept” or had “an ulterior motive” when it comes to border enforcement.
"Gov. Perry is pleased that President Obama has accepted his invitation to discuss the humanitarian and national security crises along our southern border, and he looks forward to meeting with the president tomorrow," said Perry press secretary Lucy Nashed on Tuesday.
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