Texas Gov. Rick Perry fueled speculation that he may run for president in 2016 while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show on Tuesday night.
During the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" broadcast from the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, Kimmel asked the Republican governor, "Why would you run for president? I mean, it didn’t go that great last time."
Perry replied, "You know America is a great place for second chances."
Story continues below video.
During the race for the GOP presidential nomination in the last election, Perry made an embarrassing blunder at a Republican debate in 2011.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
After declaring that he planned to eliminate three government agencies to reduce federal spending, he said he would cut the Education and Commerce departments, but he couldn’t name the third.
Eventually, he said, "I can't, the third one. Sorry. Oops." After he fared poorly in several primaries, he dropped out of the race in January 2012.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.