Perry knocks Trump: ‘I don’t live in a reality TV world’

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is focusing his hits on Donald Trump as he works to build support for his campaign and qualify for next week’s first Republican presidential debate.

“There’s one thing about being plain-spoken, there’s one thing about being smart about solutions,” Perry said during an interview Thursday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

{mosads}”Listen, I’m a governor. I don’t live in a reality TV world. I have to deal with reality,” he continued, taking a shot at Trump, the host of NBC’s “The Apprentice.”

Perry has criticized Trump before on his celebrity status, questioning the seriousness of his bid.

“I think we’re going to get past the celebrity side of this thing,” Perry said on CNBC.

“We want somebody sitting across the table from Vladimir Putin who actually knows how to send a message to him,” he added, referring to Trump’s claim that he would work well with the Russian president.

Perry has gone on a media blitz this week to drum up support heading into next week’s first GOP-sanctioned presidential debate. It’s unclear whether Perry will be on the stage, though. Only the top 10 candidates, determined by poll numbers, will qualify for the debate.

Fox News will pick the participants based on five national surveys.

A report in New York Magazine on Thursday said an adviser to Perry, who is near the cutoff line, has lobbied Fox News to use polls that rank him more favorably.