Rick Perry endorses Donald Trump, whom he once called a 'cancer' to conservatism

Thomson ReutersFormer Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks at a campaign rally for U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz in Dallas, Texas

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry has endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and is open to being his running mate, CNN reported on Thursday.

In September, Perry was the first member of the initially crowded Republican field to drop out of the 2016 White House race, following a failed bid in the 2012 race. The longest-serving governor in Texas history had languished near the bottom of the 17-strong Republican presidential pack since entering the current race in June.

Perry and Trump feuded throughout the early stages of the primary last summer, culminating with Perry's 3,000-word speech comparing Trump to a "cancer" and "false prophets."

Perry also called into question Trump's conservative credentials on multiple occasions.

"What Mr. Trump is offering is not conservatism, it is Trump-ism - a toxic mix of demagoguery and nonsense," Perry said in a statement in July.

In January, Perry endorsed fellow Texan Ted Cruz, his disdain for Trump apparently the deciding factor.

Trump is now the last one left and the presumptive Republican nominee.

(Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Sandra Maler)