Evan McMorris-Santoro August 26, 2011, 8:57 AM

Rick Perry, by most measures the current frontrunner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination at the moment, has been chatting with Donald Trump lately.

Team Trump tells Politico’s James Hohmann — who broke the story Friday — that Perry has called Trump “on ‘several occasions.” Trump’s folks seem to think this means Perry’s looking for Trump’s endorsement, though Perry’s campaign wouldn’t discuss the nature of the conversations with Hohmann and didn’t respond immediately to TPM’s request for comment.

Trump’s representative says Romney’s calling, too, though Romney’s campaign did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment either.

It’s worth noting at this point that Trump is still a birther — or at least, birther-friendly. He’s toned it down a bit from the days of his maybe-presidential campaign back in April, but Trump still thinks there are questions to be asked about Obama’s birthplace.

Trump’s already been out and about talking up Perry, though he’s also still making noises about mounting an independent run “if he doesn’t believe the candidate who wins the GOP nomination is strong enough to beat Obama,” as the AP reported.

Homann says a Trump endorsement “could be significant,” given polling data showing he could be a threat to the GOP in a three-way contest, but it’s hard to see how cozying up to the man who still doubts Obama’s birthplace could be a boon for anyone hoping to make a serious run for the White House. Unless, of course, they’re hoping to benefit from the Trumpster’s sober views on macroeconomic matters such as - er - allowing the nation to default just in order to spite President Obama.

2012 Presidential Primaries, 2012 elections, Birther, Donald Trump, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry