AUSTIN — If reports are true that Rick Perry is making plans to leave his post as U.S. energy secretary, he'd be that rare bird in Donald Trump's orbit: He'd move on with his life without a public fight, or even an ugly nickname bestowed by the president.

Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, and other news organizations followed along, that the former Texas governor was preparing his exit after a little more than two years in the Trump cabinet. Bloomberg also reported that Perry wasn't being sent packing by the White House.

To the contrary. The report said Trump had offered, and Perry rejected, the opportunity to replace Kirstjen Nielsen as secretary of homeland security. Nielsen, whose relationship with the president was strained, resigned April 7 amid Trump's frustration that she had been unable to stem the flow of migrants and asylum seekers to the nation's southern border.

That Trump might have seen in Perry as someone who'd carry out his hard-line immigration policies might seem a bit off. As a rising presidential candidate ahead of the 2012 cycle, Perry clashed with other GOP hopefuls on a debate stage when the topic turned to educating the children of undocumented immigrants.

“If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they’ve been brought there by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart,” Perry said in the September 2011 debate.

The crowd booed him, and although he walked back the comments somewhat later, Perry's candidacy stalled.

And as a presidential candidate four years later, Perry took direct aim at Trump, whose own candidacy was focused on rooting out illegal immigration. As Trump was planning his first trip to the border of his candidacy, Perry used the rhetorical equivalent of a two-by-four to whack the New York real estate developer and reality show host between the eyes.

"He offers a carnival act that can best be described as Trumpism," Perry said in a July 2015 speech. "A toxic mix of demagoguery and mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition.

"Let no one be mistaken: Donald Trump's candidacy is a cancer on conservatism."

Perry, who served a record 14 years as Texas governor, again saw his presidential hopes dashed in 2016. And then he set aside his earlier misgivings and backed Trump in the general election.

Bloomberg's report that he's ready to leave the administration was based on two unnamed sources said to be familiar with the Texan's thinking. The Energy Department, moved to quiet the speculation, saying there was "no truth" to suggestions Perry would be leaving any time soon.

"He is happy where he is serving President Trump and leading the Department of Energy,” said department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes.

The name of another Texan, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, has also been floated as a potential successor to Nielsen. And Patrick's immigration views are in lock-step with Trump's.

Even though Patrick was summoned to the White House earlier this year ahead of a major address by Trump about conditions on the southern border, and even though Patrick has accompanied Trump on recent visits to South Texas, the lieutenant governor says he has no plans to leave Texas and give up his powerful position as president of the state Senate.

But if he did, it would set off a game of political musical chairs inside the Texas Capitol.

Under the state Constitution, the 31 state senators must choose among themselves to replace a lieutenant governor in a round-robin vote that ends when one of them can cobble together a 16-member coalition.

The last time that happened was when Perry ascended from lieutenant governor to governor when George W. Bush became president.

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.

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