Koch company launches "end the divide" ad campaign
Conservative billionaire Charles Koch and his company are launching a television and digital advertising campaign that calls on Americans to "end the divide" in politics and to find common ground, USA Today reports.
"Let's stop attacking people we disagree with and trying to silence them. Let's instead try to find common ground and learn from each other so we can innovate," Koch told USA Today.
The website about the campaign says, "We want to have an open conversation about removing barriers to opportunity and progress. Our aim is to replace America's two-tiered, winner-take-all system with one free and open society where all can win."
Earlier this week, Koch told USA Today that his aides would meet with Trump campaign officials.
In April, Koch said that Hillary Clinton might be a better option than any of the GOP candidates in the 2016 presidential race. According to the USA Today report, the meeting doesn't signal an endorsement.
Koch blasted Trump on Wednesday for his recent comments about the federal judge overseeing the Trump University lawsuits and his Mexican heritage.
"It's either racist or it's stereotyping," Koch said. "It's unacceptable, and it's taking the country in the wrong direction."
Koch said it would take a lot for him to support Trump, and he would need to support free trade, free speech, finding common ground with people and eliminating corporate welfare. He said it's unlikely to happen, but added, "We want to be open."
Asked if Trump is fit to be commander-in-chief, Koch said, "I don't know the answer to that."
According to the report, Koch and his aides said his network collected $300 million last year and expects to raise $450 million this year. The network has already spent more than $15 million in advertising in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin.
