Rick Perry Takes On Trump at GOP Debate By Daring Him to Answer One Question: 'And I Ask That With All Due Respect

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry hit back Thursday at criticism from fellow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, going after the real estate billionaire for his previous support of a single-payer health care system.

Though Trump was not present at the 5 p.m. ET debate, Fox News moderator Martha MacCallum noted that Trump "seems to be getting the better" of Perry in the polls.

Perry responded.

"Well, when you look at the celebrity of Donald Trump, I think that says a lot about it. I'd like to remind people that it was back in 2007, Rudy Giuliani was leading the polls for almost a year. I'll suggest a part of that was his celebrity. Fred Thompson was the other one, a man who spent a lot of time on that screen," he said.

[sharequote align="right"]"How can you run for the Republican nomination and be for single-payer health care?"[/sharequote]

The former Texas governor then offered up a question to Trump.

"How can you run for the Republican nomination and be for single-payer health care?" he asked. "And I ask that with all due respect."

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina also hit Trump when asked the same question.

"Well I don't know. I didn't get a phone call from Bill Clinton before I jumped in the race. Did any of you get a phone call from Bill Clinton? I didn't. Maybe it's because I didn't give money to the foundation, or donate to his wife's Senate campaign," she said.

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