https://apnews.com/fb6a3b177edb477d8d3a9d2702e45c31
Rick Perry ditches glasses for portrait, defends Trump
PAUL J. WEBER
May 6, 2016

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Ditching his now-famous black glasses Friday for his official Texas portrait, former Gov. Rick Perry is back looking like his old self but sounding far different when it comes to former presidential rival Donald Trump.

After the painting was unveiled at the state Capitol, Perry defended his enthusiastic change of heart this week about the presumptive GOP nominee. He had once called the billionaire businessman a “cancer to conservatism” but now says he’d be willing to work in a Trump administration, even as vice president.

Trump has made no such public overtures to the longtime Texas governor, who acknowledged he hasn’t spoken to Trump in months. Perry was among the first 2016 contenders to drop out of the crowded Republican field, but his short-lived campaign attacked Trump harder than most in the early stages of the race.

Trump, who once said that Perry only began wearing glasses so “people will think he’s smart,” tweeted “Thank you Rick!” after Perry’s endorsement.