President Trump spoke with two members of the powerful Koch family at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday night, according to a new report.
Trump met with GOP mega-donors Bill and David Koch while the pair were dining with conservative media entrepreneur Chris Ruddy, Politico said Sunday.
Politico said it confirmed the group’s interaction with three people familiar with the encounter who did not disclose the conversation’s subject.
{mosads}Ruddy is a long-time friend of Trump’s and is known to socialize with guests at the president’s members-only club in Palm Beach.
Bill Koch supported Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, while David Koch and the pair’s brother, Charles Koch, refused to back the Republican billionaire.
A spokesman for Koch Industries, Charles and David Koch’s multinational corporation in Wichita, Kan., on Sunday confirmed Trump’s discussion with David Koch.
“David Koch was indeed at Mar-a-Lago last night and did briefly chat with the president,” Steve Lombardo said in an email.
People familiar with the situation told Politico that Charles Koch has not spoken with Trump since the 2016 race.
The network of donors and outside groups helmed by Charles and David Koch is widely considered among the most influential in right-wing politics.
Reports emerged last month that the Koch political organization is planning to spend millions of dollars to help GOP members who opposed House Republican leadership’s failed plan for repealing and replacing ObamaCare.
Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners will purportedly collaborate on a “seven-figure” fund to protect those who voted against the American Health Care Act, which Trump backed. Republicans opposed to the bill included conservatives who said it failed to fully repeal ObamaCare and centrists who opposed parts of it for reducing access to healthcare.