The inter-party GOP war over Donald Trump kicked into high gear Thursday when border state Gov. Rick Perry of Texas slapped the billionaire tycoon's border criticism as "Trump-ism, a toxic mix of demagoguery and nonsense."

Angered that Trump had earlier hit Perry's border work, the governor in a statement and on MSNBC's Morning Joe show punched back, claiming Trump needs a "primer" on how border security work and that it is a federal, not state, job.

"Donald Trump needs a primer in whose responsibility it is to secure the border," Perry said on Morning Joe.

"That's a federal responsibility," he said. "It's a constitutional requirement."

Then in a statement, Perry stepped up his assault on Trump and explained what he did in Texas when he felt President Obama wasn't doing enough to close the border with Mexico to illegal immigration.

The statement:

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today released the following statement regarding Donald Trump's ongoing comments about Governor Perry and border security:

"Donald Trump continues to demonstrate his fundamental misunderstanding of border security. Make no mistake - border security is a federal responsibility, but when I met with President Obama last year and it became clear he would not act, I told him if he would not secure the border, Texas would. Rather than thanking Texas for stepping into a gap it shouldn't have to fill, Mr. Trump has made clear that he believes the states should fend for themselves on border security. Not only is this wrong, it perpetuates the same failed policies that have left our southern border porous and vulnerable.

I have a message for my fellow Republicans and the independents who will be voting in the primary process: what Mr. Trump is offering is not conservatism, it is Trump-ism – a toxic mix of demagoguery and nonsense.

America doesn't need another president who pays lip service when issues of national security are at stake. America doesn't need another president who will pass the buck on border security. We need a president who will finally act to secure the border after decades of failed leadership in Washington, D.C. And Mr. Trump has done nothing to prove that he is the president America needs."

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.