REUTERS/American-Statesman/Jay Janner
Texas Governor Rick Perry (C) and his lawyers David Botsford (L) and Tony Buzbee attend a pre-trial hearing to face abuse-of-power charges in the 390th District Court at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas November 6, 2014.
In an interview on Face the Nation, Perry had a simple answer for how to deal with excess and greed in the financial industry.
"Regulate them," Perry said.
Less than a week into his second bid for the White House, Perry is embracing populist anger with the finance industry, calling for more regulations for Wall Street banks and financial institutions.
On Sunday, Perry doubled down on comments that the finance industry is helping to widen the gap between the rich and poor.
"I think Americans are fed up - I am - with Wall Street getting treated specially," Perry said.
"I believe in the bankruptcy laws in this country," Perry said. "There is nothing too big to fail in my opinion, when it comes to big banks, big corporate entities."
The bespectacled former Texas governor is attempting to distance himself from other Republican candidates by taking a hard line on Wall Street excess. While other GOP candidates like Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) compete for donors from the finance industry, Perry has railed against the 2008 TARP bailouts of several big banks and General Motors.
Emphasizing his rural, working-class roots, Perry is calling for accountability for large banks and corporations. In his announcement speech, Perry criticized Wall Street's role in increasing inequality, telling food stamp recipients that he is running to be "your president."
"The American people see a rigged game where insiders get rich and the middle class picks up the tab," Perry said in his announcement speech last week. "There is something wrong when the Dow is near record highs, and businesses on Main Street can't even get a loan."
Though his regulatory suggestions set him apart from the more Wall Street-friendly opponents in the Republican pack, Perry is stopping short of embracing Democratic policies. On Sunday, Perry railed hard against Dodd-Frank's regulations, claiming that the 2010 law was making it more difficult for small community banks to get a loan.
As Bloomberg points out, when asked about if his anti-Wall Street message would offend his donors, Perry said "I hope I don't insult anyone."