Trump Attacks 'Globalist' Koch Brothers
President Donald Trump delivered a rare attack on the billionaire Koch brothers early Tuesday, referring to the GOP megadonors as globalists, a term increasingly used in xenophobic and anti-Semitic contexts.
Leaders of the Koch Network of conservative megadonors criticized Trump during the group’s annual summit over the weekend, calling his White House “divisive.” Charles Koch also suggested in a rare interview that his groups may spend less backing the GOP in the future, and expressed regret over their support of certain candidates in the past.
On Twitter, Trump ripped the brothers for “bad ideas” and bragged: “I made them richer.”
The globalist Koch Brothers, who have become a total joke in real Republican circles, are against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade. I never sought their support because I don’t need their money or bad ideas. They love my Tax & Regulation Cuts, Judicial picks & more. I made.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2018
....them richer. Their network is highly overrated, I have beaten them at every turn. They want to protect their companies outside the U.S. from being taxed, I’m for America First & the American Worker - a puppet for no one. Two nice guys with bad ideas. Make America Great Again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2018
Brian Hooks, a top official at the Koch donor network, over the weekend called the Trump-supported $1.3 trillion spending bill passed by Congress this year “the most fiscally irresponsible budget in the history of our country.”
Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-backed nonprofit, released a series of ads earlier this year slamming Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), the Republican nominee for a Senate seat representing the state and a Trump favorite who supported the spending bill.
The libertarian Kochs have backed countless Republican candidates over the years, but didn’t support Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016.
CORRECTION: An earlier version wrongly characterized the $1.3 trillion spending bill as $1.3 billion.
Related...
Koch Network Leaders Blast Trump White House As ‘Divisive’
In Rare Interview, Charles Koch Suggests Political Spending May Dip
The Koch Network Finally Has GOP-Controlled Government. They’re Not Satisfied.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
