Billionaire Mark Cuban poured cold water on the idea that former President Donald Trump is a "great businessman" during an interview appearance on CNN on Friday.
Cuban, an entrepreneur and ABC's Shark Tank television star, has backed Vice President Kamala Harris in interviews and on social media since she received the mantle from President Joe Biden and quickly shored up the Democratic Party's nomination this summer after Biden stepped down from the race. While Cuban has said he was initially a fan of Trump's candidacy when he first announced his intentions back in 2015, he has now soured completely on the former president. Cuban says that Harris is the pro-business candidate who can best serve the interests of small businesses and the economy at large.
On Friday, Cuban was asked by CNN host Kaitlan Collins if he would invest in Trump's campaign efforts if he appeared on Shark Tank, listing some of the former president's ventures of selling Trump-branded shoes, coins, crypto, bibles, as well as pieces of his suit.
Cuban responded: "No, he's desperate. You only sell those things because you have to because you need the money. People think he's a great businessman. If the job of the presidency was investing in real estate, picking curtains and fixtures, he'd probably be the most qualified. But it's not. He's not a businessperson. He's failed early and often. And the worst part about his business career is how many times he rips off hard working Americans."
Newsweek has reached out to Trump and Harris' campaign via email for comment.
Cuban's remarks come after Trump's business dealings have been under recent scrutiny. In a lawsuit brought forward by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled in February that Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric, as well as The Trump Organization were liable for a scheme in which the value of Trump's net worth and assets were unlawfully inflated to obtain more favorable business deals. Trump has maintained his innocence. The judge has since ordered him and others to pay more than $350 million in penalties—a sum that has ballooned with interest to more than $489 million.
Engoron also banned Trump from holding any directorships for three years and his companies were banned from taking out loans with financial institutions. The former president is currently appealing the ruling and some judges on the New York Appellate Court have indicated they might overturn the decision.
Meanwhile, Cuban has readily engaged Trump supporters and fellow billionaire Elon Musk over the past few months to defend Harris against their attacks. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, founder of SpaceX and owner of X, formerly Twitter, has become one of Trump's leading surrogates, and Cuban has utilized X as a key platform to pushback against Musk and Trump allies.
Cuban previously told Newsweek that he viewed Trump's first term as "bad," warning that a second term will be "worse." He also views Harris as someone that will work with Republicans and independents.
"She is not an ideologue," he said, describing her as "far more stable" and "open minded." In particular, Cuban views Harris' economic policies as good for the country, saying they will benefit everyday Americans and small businesses.
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