Republican mega-donor Charles Koch issued a warning to President Donald Trump on Friday not to further a system "that benefits the wealthy and well-connected (including big businesses such as Koch Industries) at the expense of everyone else," in a column for The Washington Post.
Koch, the chief executive of Koch Industries, is known along with his brothers Bill and David as a substantial source of funding for conservative candidates. Although Bill supported Trump in the previous election, Charles and Bill didn't.
In the Post, Koch approved of many of Trump's actions as president, including his "thoughtful approach to regulatory reform," and his appointing Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
"At the same time, I view some actions of this administration as counterproductive. These include broad travel bans, discouraging free trade and a tendency toward rhetoric that too easily divides Americans instead of uniting them.
"But rather than spending too much time looking back — even if only for 100 days — we need to look forward," Koch continued. "The president and lawmakers have an excellent opportunity to take bold steps here and now to reverse the United States' trajectory toward a two-tiered system: one that benefits the wealthy and well-connected (including big businesses such as Koch Industries) at the expense of everyone else."
This isn't Koch's first warning that Trump's administration could harm the country, saying donors to his network in February: "We have a tremendous danger because we can go the authoritarian route . . . or we can move toward a free and open society," according to the Post.
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