WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted influential conservative donors Charles and David Koch, dubbing them a "total joke" who are "against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade."
The president's harsh words for the powerful brothers came a day after they signaled an intention to shift away from their practice of pushing for Republican-only bills and policy solutions, saying they would seek and push bipartisan proposals.
It also came a day after the Koch organization announced it will not support Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer in his North Dakota Senate bid.
Trump dubbed the duo the "globalist Koch Brothers," drawing a distinction between them and his nationalist "America first" message and philosophy.
"The globalist Koch Brothers, who have become a total joke in real Republican circles, are against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade," Trump tweeted.
In addition to hitting the brothers on border security and trade, the president wrote he did not seek their support during the 2016 presidential campaign "because I don't need their money or bad ideas."
Trump, perhaps indirectly, alluded to the reasons why some Republicans voted for him two years ago and continue to support him while questioning some of his tactics and rhetoric. He contended the Kochs "love my Tax & Regulation Cuts, Judicial picks & more."
What's more, he claimed in a second tweet to have made the brothers "richer" while slamming their political network as "highly overrated" because he has "beaten them at every turn."
He charged the Koch brothers with being solely focused on ensuring their corporations are not taxed on foreign soil while he is "for America First and the American Worker," describing himself as "a puppet for no one" _ bringing back the line he used to counter 2016 Democratic foe Hillary Clinton's charges that he was a "puppet" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The tweets made public a long-running feud within Republican politics between so-called "establishment" camps and Trump.
The president's social media posts came after Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, said Monday at a Koch network summit in Colorado Springs, Colo., that the group would not be backing Cramer because his policy positions do no align with the organization's. Notably, the Kochs said they also will not support the incumbent in that race, Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.
