Trump Is Squeezing the Koch Network Out of the GOP
Caught between surging populism on the right and the rise of democratic socialism on the left, the libertarian donor group has plenty of cash, but little popular support.
Will the GOP be the party of Donald Trump or the party of Charles Koch?
The question comes to mind as Koch, the billionaire businessman who has for decades devoted himself to libertarian causes, rallies his expansive network of right-of-center philanthropists to fight against the Republican embrace of protectionism, restrictionism, and deficit spending, the hallmarks of the Trump presidency so far. This weekend, leading members of the Koch network gathered in Colorado Springs to assess the country’s direction, and the stance its members ought to take toward a Republican Party that they see as increasingly hostile to their small-government ideals. Having played a central role in shaping the Republican agenda in the Barack.
