Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Tea Party Billionaire David Koch Disses Donald Trump As Motivated By Publicity, ‘Not Qualified’

Speaking with the New York Daily News at a party on Saturday night, petrochemical billionaire David Koch dismissed Donald Trump as “not really qualified to be President.” Trump, who has rocketed to the top of the polls for GOP voters, has dominated the headlines in recent weeks with his conspiracies about President Obama’s birth certificate and college admissions. Koch warned that Trump was “exposing himself to a lot of attacks,” but that “he’s sort of asking for it.” He then observed that, although Trump wants publicity, he certainly isn’t qualified for the Oval Office:
“Donald Trump is exposing himself to a lot of attacks,” said Koch. “As much as I like Donald, he’s sort of asking for it.” He laughed again, then observed that “Donald’s political positions over the last 10 years have been highly variable and unusual. He’s a wonderful guy, but I don’t think he should run for office.
Noting Trump’s love of press, Koch said the “Celebrity Apprentice” host is “getting more publicity than he ever dreamed about right now.” But, he added, “at some point I think he’s going to drop out of the race when he realizes that he’s really not qualified to be President.”
Although Koch has organized fundraisers for former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), he told NYDN that he has not yet chosen a favorite 2012 candidate. “Only next year will I take a position,” said Koch.
Koch, a financier of Tea Party front groups like Americans for Prosperity, is known for his role as a kingmaker within the Republican Party. Presidential candidates, from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to George W. Bush to former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) to George H.W. Bush have sought Koch’s support in previous elections. Even last weekend, former Govs. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) and Mitt Romney (R-MA) appeared at an Americans for Prosperity candidate forum in New Hampshire. At the event, Pawlenty criticized efforts to roll back billions in tax subsidies to oil companies, and Romney called for a corporate tax cut.

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