Billionaire investor Mark Cuban revealed on Sunday that he had attempted to set up a meeting between Elon Musk and Vice President Kamala Harris, a potential interaction that has sparked significant attention online.
Speaking on MSNBC, Cuban explained that he had tried to arrange a meeting between Musk and Harris's team, but Harris's staffers were concerned. "They didn't trust that [Elon] wouldn't go on X and say something to distort the purpose of the meeting," Cuban said.
When asked whether a Kamala Harris administration would "embrace" Musk despite his support for Donald Trump, Cuban confirmed that he was advocating for it.
"Yeah, for sure. Why not? Look, she's been very clear—she's going to work with Republicans. She's not an ideologue, and that's key. She talks about it all the time. She's open-minded and willing to collaborate," Cuban said.
Soon after Cuban's appearance on MSNBC, Musk responded on X, stating he was open to the idea of a meeting, provided it was held live.
"I'm happy to have a live discussion so there can't be any 'distortion.' That would be awesome. Please, can we do this? Pretty please," Musk posted.
I’m happy to have a live discussion, so there can’t be any “distortion” 🤭
That would be so awesome. Please can we do this 🙏. Pretty please.
Following Musk's post, Cuban clarified that "embraced" was not the correct word and corrected himself: "Wrong choice of words on my part. Happens during a live interview. A better choice would have been 'disclosure.' Would you be open to a private meeting if she wins?"
Wrong choice of words on my part.. Happens during a live interview.. Better choice would have been "disclosure"
Would you like to do a private meeting if she wins ? https://t.co/tHh4ZVHwTO
The exchange between Cuban and Musk is the latest in a series of interactions between the two billionaires, who now find themselves on opposing sides of the 2024 election. Over the weekend, Cuban raised questions about the legality of Musk's latest political initiatives, which involve offering $47 to people who encourage voter registration in swing states and giving away $1 million daily to a registered voter until Election Day.
"I'm pretty sure that while it may not violate voting laws, it might violate gaming laws in Pennsylvania," Cuban posted on X on Sunday.
Cuban has been actively campaigning for Harris, co-leading the "Business Leaders for Harris" initiative alongside LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. On Thursday, he appeared with Harris at a rally in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Musk has become one of Donald Trump's most prominent supporters. He founded the America PAC and has invested at least $75 million in Trump's campaign, working to gather a million signatures ahead of the election to boost Trump's chances.
According to Cuban, their previously cordial relationship took a sharp downturn after he made a critical remark about Tesla. Musk, now a Trump supporter, reportedly texted Cuban, "F--- you," marking the beginning of their public fallout. Since then, Cuban has repeatedly challenged Musk on X, particularly over issues related to free speech and the suppression of "truths."
Despite their disagreements, Cuban insists his criticism isn't personal, having once referred to Musk as the "entrepreneur of our generation."
"I don't dislike Elon, but he says some stupid things, and I have no problem calling him out. And he's thin-skinned," Cuban has said.
Musk, on the other hand, has frequently mocked Cuban. In a recent exchange, Musk responded to a video post in which a user suggested that Musk's ownership of X was central to political and electoral discourse issues and implied that this was why X was being attacked.
"Exactly," Musk replied. "Mark Cuban is a giant [poop emoji] in human form."
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