Billionaire investor Mark Cuban revealed why he stopped supporting former President Donald Trump in 2016, and what has ultimately led to his backing of Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
In an interview with FOX Business’ Neil Cavuto on Friday, Cuban was asked “where did it go wrong” with his personal and professional relationship with the 45th president.
“I don’t think it went wrong. I mean, if he wants to go to dinner, he wants to have a drink one night. He won’t drink, I’ll drink. You know, we hang out. He’s fun to hang around. He’s got a great personality, he’s charismatic. But I think he was a lousy president before, I think he’ll be a worse president this time,” Cuban said on “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.”
“And it has nothing to do with personality,” he added. “It has everything to do with ability.”
HARRIS SURROGATE MARK CUBAN TELLS CNBC HE’S WORK WITH TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IF ASKED
The prominent entrepreneur has taken an outspoken stance in his support of Harris, while Trump has often taken public jabs at the investor on Truth Social, calling Cuban a “loser” and going “rogue” by allegedly not returning Trump’s phone calls in his first term.
“I don’t care. He amps up rhetoric all the time. That’s who he is. He wants to be divisive, he wants to be denigrating,” Cuban responded.
“But bigger picture, it doesn’t matter,” he continued. “And I’m not running. But the fact that he gets all amped up and finds a need to come back at me, that tells you his ability to focus, that tells you how much time he spends on policy and trying to learn things.
“And that really was the underpinning of why I stopped supporting him back in 2016, because the more I talked to him about policy, the less engaged he was. The more I asked him what he’s been learning, there was always a non-answer. You can’t find a time where you said, ‘Wow, that was really a nuanced position and conversation with Donald Trump about this or that policy.’ It’s always just talking points and soundbites, no depth at all, ever. So he has to resort to Truth Social posts.”
Cuban further argued that Harris has put forth an enticing campaign that has been an “easier sell” for voters.
“We’ve all had to deal with people who are just consistent, nonstop salespeople. They’re just relentless. And the content really didn’t matter to them. They’re just going to bother the hell out of you. That’s Donald Trump,” he said. “But the good news is Kamala has a better product.”
In an earlier radio interview Friday morning with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, Cuban touted Harris’ tax plan, pushing back against inflationary concerns and the hotly contested tax on unrealized capital gains.
“Inflation really started back in April of 2020 when, remember, right at the beginning of the pandemic, when there was all lockdowns, and the price of gas was $1.85 everywhere, and prices seemed to be going lower at that point in time. The oil companies went to Donald Trump, who was president at the time, and said: look, it’s not sustainable for us to have oil prices as low as they are,” Cuban told Kilmeade.
“What she has said is that anybody making under $400,000, their taxes will not go up. And for 100 million of those people, their taxes will go down,” he commented on Harris’ tax proposals. “Joe Biden wanted a higher capital gains tax. She picked 28%. When it comes to unrealized capital gains, I’m telling you… that is not going to happen.”
Cuban shared that same point with Cavuto: “What she’s not doing is, she’s not going to do a tax on unrealized capital gains. That was in Joe Biden’s budget. It’s never, ever been proposed. It was wrong when he put it in there. It’s still wrong. It’s not going to happen… She said she’s raising the capital gains tax to 28%. I can live with that. That’s not going to change anybody’s behavior… It’s not a tax on an investment. It’s a tax on your gain once you reach a certain threshold.”
When asked about whether he would take a cabinet position offered by a potential Harris-Walz administration, Cuban firmly declined.
“I don’t want one. I don’t want to work for the government,” the billionaire said. “I think I can have more of an impact on health care in general… and just doing what I do as an entrepreneur and CEO as opposed to working for the government.”
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