Former President Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonBattle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight Sunday shows - Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death dominates Bill Clinton on GOP push to fill Ginsburg vacancy: Trump, McConnell 'first value is power' MORE called Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE around the time the businessman was making a final decision about jumping into the 2016 Republican presidential race, The Washington Post reports.

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Trump spoke with Clinton from his office in New York, and the former president encouraged the celebrity real estate developer to play a larger role in the GOP, four Trump allies told the Post.

“Mr. Trump reached out to President Clinton a few times. President Clinton returned his call in late May,” an employee for Bill Clinton told the Post. “While we don’t make it a practice to discuss the president’s private conversations, we can tell you that the presidential race was not discussed.”

A spokeswoman for Trump's campaign declined to comment for the Post report, and Hillary Clinton's campaign did not immediately offer a statement for it.

Some Republicans have voiced frustration with Trump entering the GOP race, noting his previous associations with the Clintons and donations to the Clinton Foundation, which have come under fire.

He has also admitted that he identifies with Democrats on some issues, including around the time of the financial crises, which he has used amid arguments that the country doesn't need "another Bush."

Trump is currently atop several polls, leading all Republicans presidential candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, by double digits heading into Thursday night's first GOP debate.

For his part, Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly labeled Hillary Clinton as the "worst" secretary of State.