It must be disorienting for progressives to watch a Republican president rail against “the globalist Koch brothers.” That’s a dynamic only President Trump could introduce.
After toiling for years to cast the Kochs as sinister puppet masters of Republican lawmakers, the Left’s powerful characterization of the billionaire brothers is now being exploited by Trump. “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 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,” Trump tweeted.
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
Sure, he’s saying the Kochs are less powerful than liberal stereotypes suggest, but he’s also taking credit for resisting their influence.
Whether or not his line of attack is legitimate, I think we underestimate now the degree to which Trump’s anti-special interest rhetoric contributed to his rise. Upon announcing his campaign back in 2015, just years after the waning of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements, Trump condemned money in politics. Lawmakers, he said, are “controlled fully by the lobbyists, by the donors, and by the special interests.” Those sentiments resonate across the spectrum. (It should not be lost on anyone, by the way, that this amounts to one billionaire donor railing against other billionaire donors.)
The Kochs are not at all the boogeymen liberals make them out to be. But they’re still powerful contributors. And Republican politicians around the country (almost all of whom are loyal to Trump) benefit from their donations. How will that play out? Trump’s tweet gave Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel license to pile on, critiquing the brothers as “ideologues.” Whether the Trump vs. Koch spat will deepen into a broader GOP vs. Koch fight is unclear, though I would be skeptical.
Nevertheless, it’s a fresh reminder that Trump’s populism is more than tariffs and immigration. It’s an attitude toward life.
