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Rick Perry is the GOP flavor of the month. Ad Policy

He’s topping the polls, pulling in the money and getting talked up as the presidential candidate Republicans were waiting for.

But, like most Americans, most Repubicans and Republican-leaning voters know very little about the man. According to the latest Gallup Poll, a quarter of Republicans still do not recognize Perry’s name, even though he now leads most GOP polls.

That was evident when Perry travelled to New York City to seek the blessing of Donald Trump, a briefly serious Republican presidential prospect who has repositioned himself as a kingmaker—or, at least, someone who would like to think of himself as a kingmaker.

Perry wasn’t the first Republican contender, or potential contender, who has made the pilgrimage to Trump’s side. Trump has a meeting set with Mitt Romney, and he has already chatted with Michele Bachmann. And he even took Sarah Palin out for pizza.

So what did the businessman think of the Texan.

“Terrific guy!” he says of Perry.

“I had dinner last night with Jim Perry,” Trump informed The Street Network. “I was impressed with him.”

Not impressed enough to remember the governor’s name—or, presumably, Perry’s positions on the issues.

But impressed.

As always, however, Trump is most impressed with himself.

He says that “if the Republicans pick the wrong candidate, and that could happen, and if the economy continues to be bad—which I’m almost sure will happen because we have very poor leadership—I would certainly think of running as an independent.”

No word yet on whether Jim Perry is the “wrong candidate.”