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Trump's comments follow media reports that the Koch donor
network sought to distance itself from Trump and the Republican
Party at a weekend gathering in Colorado where concerns were
also raised that his trade policies could fuel a recession.
"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," Trump said in a post on Twitter.
"Their network is highly overrated, I have beaten them at every
turn."
Charles and David Koch have been a force in American politics
for decades, channeling billions of dollars into conservative
causes. But the billionaire industrialist pair kept their
distance from Trump during the 2016 presidential election.
Charles Koch has taken the lead after his younger brother,
David, stepped down from their political group and their company
Koch Industries earlier in June due to poor health.
On Sunday, Charles Koch told reporters at the gathering that
Trump's trade policies, including tariffs, could trigger severe
economic fallout, Bloomberg reported.
The Koch-backed network also said it would not support the
Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp,
who is facing re-election, according to the Washington Post.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; editing by John Stonestreet)
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