Since they couldn't beat him, the Kochs are going to try to make lemonade out of Trump and follow the lead of all the rest of the Republicans and embrace him. To that end, at their bi-annual conference in Palm Springs this weekend, they reiterated their pledge to spend $400 million in keeping Congress in Republican hands to forward Trump's agenda.
On areas of agreement with the president—from tax cuts to deregulation and judicial nominations—the leaders of the network now go out of their way to heap praise on Trump.
On areas of disagreement where they were once outspoken—such as supporting free trade, advocating more open borders and opposing deficit spending—network officials now tread carefully to downplay divisions and avoid antagonizing Trump.
They've so invested in the Trump strategy, they're adopting his over-the-top offensiveness.
"We have now increasingly followed the philosophy that made Frederick Douglass such an effective social-change entrepreneur," [Charles] Koch said, referring to the famous abolitionist, as donors sipped cocktails on a lush green lawn with views of the pink-hued mountains. "And that is, as he put it, 'Unite with anybody to do right, and no one to do wrong.'"
Yes, he really just did that. He compared himself and his life's goal of destroying government so he and his brother can owe everything to Frederick Douglass. They're as shameless as the Republicans they're hiring. Speaking of shameless, Speaker Paul Ryan pledged his obeisance in return for their help getting their very own tax bill through. "Your network has been instrumental for allowing us to reach so many milestones that have long been talked about, but until this year, have not been achieved," he told them in a three-minute video. "And because of your help, we have been able to take the ball and run with it." Part of the $400 million the Kochs plan to spend will be $20 million to try to sell the new tax law to a voting public who is likely to see little benefit from it.
Beyond the 2018 midterms, the Kochs have a long-term plan: the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court. The network, one AFP source says, "made a six-figure investment in 2017 on judicial engagement. We're looking to increase the investment level in 2018 and build upon our success." There's the real reason they're reconciled to Trump, and why they'll fight so hard to keep a Republican Senate. If they get the courts, they'll have everything, for generations.