This text is a part of The D.C. Temporary, TIME’s politics publication. Enroll right here to get tales like this despatched to your inbox.
Mark Cuban is not any fan of Donald Trump. The enterprise moguls have a protracted, difficult relationship that coloured loads of the 2024 presidential marketing campaign as the fact stars sparred from afar. The frenemy-ship was among the best subplots of final yr’s hard-fought marketing campaign, and one that’s exhibiting no signal of abating.
Talking Saturday to a convention of traditionalist Republicans, the Dallas Mavericks proprietor and serial entrepreneur steered Trump deserves slim admiration as he continues to hock something that can slap his identify on it, from cryptocurrency to clothes to the U.S. authorities itself.
“The one purpose somebody sells all that shit is as a result of they must,” Cuban trolled.
Cuban against this mentioned he doesn’t must slum it with such petty endeavors. “I don’t must promote gold tennis sneakers that will not ship,” he mentioned, noting Trump’s effort in footwear that warned would possibly by no means materialize. “He doesn’t wish to govern. He desires to promote.”
Bravado of that order is straightforward while you’re a billionaire. It’s simply not clear that it interprets to a viable governance technique, particularly with a rival billionaire holding essentially the most consequential job on the planet.
Cuban, a swaggering unbiased, was regrouping in Washington with anti-Trump Republicans on the Ideas First summit, because the Trumpist wing of the occasion huddled throughout the river at this yr’s CPAC, the place Trump was set to talk this afternoon, and Elon Musk brandishing a chainsaw stole the present earlier this week.
The putting split-screen Saturday hinted on the deeply unsettled second in politics, as our most well-known billionaires provide competing views of the way to repair Washington. And for Cuban, that prescription was wrapped up in his withering evaluation of the Democratic Celebration, and Vice President Kamala Harris, who he believes failed to succeed in voters final yr.
“In the event you gave the Democrats a greenback invoice and mentioned, ‘You possibly can promote these for 50 cents,’ they might rent 50 folks … after which wouldn’t know the way to promote the greenback invoice for 50 cents,” mentioned Cuban, who hit the path final yr for Harris. “In the event you gave it to Donald Trump and mentioned, ‘Promote this greenback invoice for $2,’ he’d work out a approach, proper? He’d inform you that $2 invoice is, you already know, large.”
All of which leads Cuban to having little optimism that Democrats can steer the nation away from the Trumpian skid the nation finds itself enduring.
“I realized the Democrats can’t promote value shit,” Cuban mentioned.
In Cuban’s estimation, Democratic candidates didn’t exhibit having any understanding of small companies, the influence of inflation, the anxiousness about immigration, and even the fundamentals of the tax code. All of that conspired, due to bloated consultants wanting over their shoulders, to their losses when a win was achievable. It’s additionally why, after his first occasion for Harris, he banned her consultants from chirping in his ear, he mentioned, and why he’s watching with frustration and shock that they haven’t realized any classes from final yr’s loss.
Cuban heaped scorn on these Democrats who maintain repeating the arguments from the unsuccessful 2024 bid about Trump being a risk to democracy and a problem to all the things that People maintain pricey.
“How’d that work within the marketing campaign?” Cuban mentioned.
As Trump and Musk set about to scrap complete pillars of the federal paperwork, Cuban argued that the fascination on the wrecking ball shouldn’t be a profitable tactic as a result of neither he nor Musk must get all of it proper to vary authorities in ways in which will likely be tough to unwind.
“Elon doesn’t give a shit,” Cuban mentioned. “He’s, like, ‘F— it, I’ll be wealthy it doesn’t matter what.’”
That mentioned, Cuban was clear he has zero curiosity in being an elected participant in a system he carries avowed contempt towards. “I don’t wish to be President,” he mentioned. “I’d reasonably f— up well being care.”
As each events fret over the outsized affect of the super-rich, it’s telling how a lot the prescriptions of celebrities with deep pockets proceed to attract a lot curiosity. Cuban’s needling of Democrats was rooted in how a lot he blames them for all the things unfolding now.
“Chaos shouldn’t be good for this nation,” Cuban warned. “There is no amount of cash that overcomes that.”
Make sense of what issues in Washington. Join the D.C. Temporary publication.
