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NEW YORK (AP) – The war of words intensified between two titans in Republican politics on Tuesday as President Donald Trump trashed the conservative billionaire Koch brothers has a "total joke in real Republican circles."
The presidential insult followed A weekend gathering of Koch officials who repeatedly condemned Trump's trade policies, the explosion of government spending under his watch and his divisive tone.
The intra-party feud could hurt the GOP in this fall's midterm elections and beyond. While the Kochs refuses to endorse Trump's first presidential run, the president's loyalties do not want his 2020 re-election campaign bogged down by lingering bad blood. The Koch network enjoys an army of grbadroots activists across 36 states and has promised to spend between $ 300 million and $ 400 million on politics and policy this election cycle.
"The globalist Koch Brothers, who have become a total joke in real Republican Strong Borders and Powerful Trade, "Trump tweeted. "I'm looking for their support because I do not need their money or bad ideas."
The president later added "I'm for America First & the American Worker – a puppet for no one. ideas. "
Over the weekend, network patriarch, 82-year-old Charles Koch, refused to criticize Trump personally when the Associated Press was asked whether the president should bear any responsibility for the divisive tone in Washington.
" We 've had divisiveness long before Trump became president and president, "Koch said during a rare question-and-answer session with reporters. "
Responding to Trump 's Social Media Attack, Koch spokesman James Davis was measured. "The day before, the Kochs' political advocacy network announced it would not back the GOP candidate in the North Dakota Senate race, determining Republican challenger Kevin Cramer's record on government spending more than Democratic incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in the marke Senate contest.
The Kochs have not ruled out similar moves in top-tier Senate races in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, and West Virginia, although they are actively working to help elect Republican Senate candidates in Florida, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
"Koch Lt. Emily Seidel told donors Monday.
While the move echoed across the political world, Republican operatives quietly dismissed the practical impact of the Koch's decision on the North Dakota Senate race, where Cramer's campaign believes he has a double-digit lead in the deep-red state against the incumbent Democratic. Yet there is a desire for the Kochs to cooperate with Trump allies in other states, such as Nevada and Montana, where Republican candidates are considered more vulnerable.
Some Trump loyalists were furious at perceived contradictions in the Koch network's behavior. [19659002"TheKochshadzerotodowithTrump'swinin2016"WhiteHousecounselorSteveBannontoldtheAP"ButtheywerewillingtosupportthetaxcutandthederegulationwhileopposingtheheartofTrumpism-tradeandimmigration"
Vice President Mike Pence, close Koch ally, has so far gone silent on the feud. Trump's Twitter attacks.
"Their network is highly overrated," Trump charged. "I have beaten them at every turn."
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