The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Jaimes: Democrats may find themselves liking the Koch Brothers

President Trump’s newest enemies have gathered some support from an unsuspected audience.
Donald+trump+speaks+to+a+room+of+supporters+in+Cedar+Rapids%2C+Iowa+on+Thursday%2C+July+28%2C+2016.+Trump+was+joined+by+Iowa+GOP+members+Joni+Ernst%2C+and+Terry+Branstad.+%28File+Photo%2FThe+Daily+Iowan%29
Donald trump speaks to a room of supporters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Trump was joined by Iowa GOP members Joni Ernst, and Terry Branstad. (File Photo/The Daily Iowan)

President Donald Trump’s latest tirade has a strange victim: conservative brothers Charles and David Koch. The Koch brothers, known for their billionaire financial status, have been accused of funding Republican candidates over the years and secretly persuading Trump by luring him with their money. Trump, appearing to not be lured by their financial status, referred to them as a “total joke,” in which the left then swarmed to Koch brother’s defense.

At the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2015, then-President Barack Obama joked, “It’s amazing how time flies. Soon the first presidential contest will take place, and I, for one, cannot wait to see who the Koch brothers pick. It’s exciting. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, who will finally get that red rose? … The Koch brothers think they need to spend a million dollars to get folks to think they need to like one of these people.”

How it must now kill Obama and the Democratic elites who laughed this off at the time, now knowing that they were wrong about both the Kochs’ ability to influence an election or that Trump was not even taken seriously enough to joke about. Just three years later, Trump’s reign has caused a complete shift in the view of the Koch family.

According to its website, the Charles Koch Institute offers educational programs to students and professionals dedicated to advancing movements such as free speech, foreign policy, and criminal-justice reform. On the topic of criminal-justice reform, the institute focuses on overcriminalization, policing practices, due process, sentencing, and second chances. Its policies support what I and my criminal-justice peers would like to work toward in the future. So much for being greedy billionaires.

Another blow to the left (and to Trump) … the Kochs are open-borders globalists, believing in mass immigration and the power of free trade. Breitbart News recently reported on the Kochs’ possibly funding Democrats in the next election, with Americans for Prosperity CEO stating, “If you are a Democrat and stand up to Elizabeth Warren to corral enough votes for financial reform that breaks barriers for community banks and families, you’re darn right we will work with you.” The Kochs’ bipartisan efforts to protect America shows that years of unwarranted hate was calculated by a party that would rather paint the Kochs as evil than legitimate.

This is just a small example of the faux outrage that exists throughout Trump’s America. The left has embodied the idea of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” — there is not a single moment in which they can agree with this president. Not because he is an evil dictator but because he is Trump. Whatever he says or does, they’ve vowed to resist it.

When it comes to the Koch brothers, moderate America can tolerate Trump as a bully. For ages, they were painted in a negative light, but it only took Trump and an easily swayed left for the truth to prevail … The Koch family isn’t so bad after all.

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About the Contributor
Marina Jaimes, Opinions Columnist
Email: [email protected] Marina Jaimes is an Opinions columnist and member of the Editorial Board. She previously served as the editor of the section. She is a senior studying political science and criminology.