GOP/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday [7-31-18] slammed the powerful Koch-led political operation as ‘globalist’ and ‘a total joke,’ rejecting the conservative group amid signs of a growing public fissure between the president and business over trade. Trump’s comments follow news media reports that some officials within the Koch donor network – which has spent millions to help elect Republicans – are concerned the president’s trade policies could fuel a recession and want to scale back support of Republican candidates. The Kochs are not the only business group critical of the president’s trade policies. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business lobby, has publicly criticized the billions of dollars worth of tariffs the administration has targeted at China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Trump has also escalated criticism in recent weeks of American companies that appear critical of his trade policies, including firing off threats at motorcycle manufacturers Harley Davidson (HOG.N). The public spat with the Kochs comes less than four months before the Nov. 6 midterm congressional elections that have Trump’s fellow Republicans seeking to maintain control of both chambers of Congress and lay bare the ongoing internal debate in the Republican Party about trade policy.”
-Ginger Gibson, “Trump blasts conservative megadonors Koch network as ‘overrated’,” Reuters, July 31, 2018 3:51 am