COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. ― Leaders of the Koch Network of conservative megadonors opened the group’s annual summer summit with harsh criticism of President Donald Trump, slamming his rhetoric as divisive and his push for a trade war as misguided. This year’s gathering of donors was the network’s largest ever, with more than 500 donors pledging more than $100,000 apiece toward the network’s efforts, which include everything from backing nonprofits and universities to lobbying for regulatory rollbacks to attacking Democratic senators.
The network, which has spent millions over the past 15 years to shape the GOP in its image, has had an up-and-down relationship with the president. It refused to back his election bid in 2016, but has succeeded in filling the Trump administration with allies who share its economic libertarian vision, often with the help of Vice President Mike Pence. It’s praised the president’s judicial selections ― and has said it will spend heavily to promote the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court ― as well as the GOP tax cuts. But it has broken with him on immigration and trade.
In a briefing for reporters, top Koch network officials said the Trump administration’s rhetoric was making it more difficult for politicians and Americans to find common ground.
“The manner in which people engage public policy matters,” said Brian Hooks, the co-chair of the Seminar Network, the umbrella group that hosts the gatherings. “And it’s gone way beyond tone, way beyond tactic. The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage.”
“When in order to win on an issue, somebody else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people to solve the problems in this country,” Hooks said
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