Among the list of qualities he wants in a president, Mark Cuban told Business Insider that he wants an open-minded leader who won’t become an “ideologue” while in office.
Following the four-day convention in Chicago, Cuban took to social media to praise the Democratic candidate, particularly her message of helping small business owners and entrepreneurs and lifting up America’s middle class by reducing the costs of health care, groceries and housing.
“Talking to stakeholders is the first step to understanding why the economy works or doesn’t work, from pricing to growth,” Cuban wrote in a post on X on Friday.
“She is pro-business. She is her own person. She is not an ideologue,” Cuban wrote about Harris.
Cuban was one of the early backers of Harris’ campaign after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race on July 21. He added his name to a growing list of venture capitalists pledging their support for the vice president, which has so far garnered 820 signatures.
The billionaire founder has defended parts of Harris’ economic plan, including subsidies for first-time homebuyers and a federal ban on price gouging.
He also said he appreciated Harris’ efforts to advance the discussion on healthcare transparency and cryptocurrency regulation, two areas in which Cuban has some stake through his online pharmacy company and investments in digital assets.
“Obviously, the devil is in the details, but so far I like what I’ve heard,” Cuban previously told BI.
Trump vs. Harris
When it comes to Harris’ Republican opponent, Donald Trump, Cuban sees a stark contrast.
“One of the things that sets KH apart from the Republican candidates is that she’s very self-aware,” Cuban told BI. “She knows what she doesn’t know and she’s willing to listen to businesses, from the little corner yogurt shop to the biggest companies in the industry.”
On “X,” Cuban defended Harris against critics who say her economic agenda lacked specifics, noting that Trump has yet to reveal details of his own policy plans.
“We have to wait for details on her policies just as we wait for details on President Trump’s policies,” he wrote in response to user X on Aug. 18. “The difference is, she’s been in office for four weeks. When did President Trump announce it?”
Neither candidate has yet outlined a comprehensive economic policy, but Mr. Cuban clearly likes Ms. Harris’ rhetoric, highlighting parts of her speech at the Democratic National Convention in which she spoke about uniting workers and small-business owners and criticized Mr. Trump’s vague plan to curb inflation.
In his speech on Wednesday, Trump said his fight against inflation would include signing an executive order directing “all Cabinet and agency heads to use all available tools and authorities to combat inflation and rapidly reduce consumer prices.”
Cuban responded with X: “What voters will hear is that he’s going to give instructions to some anonymous bureaucrats and their agencies, and talk to all the other anonymous bureaucrats and the thousands of bureaucrats who work for them, and defeat inflation within 100 days.”
He ran a poll on X on Friday, asking users which they preferred: “Talk2 Gov Bureacrats,” referring to Trump’s message, or “Talk2 Business people,” referring to Harris’ message.
After the convention, Cuban said in a Friday post on X that Harris was trying to rebuild the party.
“Kamala Harris is not following the Democratic Party’s agenda. Kamala Harris is defining her own agenda and the Democratic Party is following her,” he wrote. “She is literally redefining the party.”
