Political Wire

Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 191

Blue Wave Update

A new episode of Trial Balloon just dropped for Political Wire members. Log in or become a member

Trial Balloon · Ep. 191: Blue Wave Update

Mark Cuban Won’t Run for President

· Leave a Comment

Mark Cuban told CNN he will not run for president as a third-party candidate.

Cuban said he conducted his own polls: “In a three-way between me, Biden and Trump, I dominated the independent vote — I got like 77% percent of it and was able to take some votes away from Donald and some votes away from Biden. But in aggregate, I was only able to get up to 25%.”

He added: “From every which way, crosstab, you name it, I had it analyzed and scrutinized every which way, projected, and they could only see me getting up to 25%. That’s why I didn’t pursue it further.”

Mark Cuban Still Mulling Presidential Bid

· Leave a Comment

Billionaire Mark Cuban told CNBC he hasn’t ruled out an independent run for the White House in 2020.

Said Cuban: “We’ll see what happens. It would take the perfect storm for me to do it. There’s some things that could open the door, but I’m not projecting or predicting it right now.”

He added: “I still think there’s a real opportunity for somebody who is in the middle but has some charisma, has the ability to relate to both sides but is not a politician. The reality is people don’t trust politicians.”

Bannon Has Urged Cuban to Run for President

· Leave a Comment

Mark Cuban has discussed the possibility of running for president in 2020 with Steve Bannon over the past few months, the Daily Beast reports.

Axios: “Bannon wants to break down the entrenched political system, so he might view Cuban — with his mix of social liberalism and Ayn Rand devotion — as someone he could work with on the left. And while it might seem odd that Bannon would seemingly work against Trump, don’t forget that he told Vanity Fair last month that he only gives his boss a 30% chance of lasting a full term.”

Cuban Could Challenge Trump In a GOP Primary

· Leave a Comment

Mark Cuban told Fox News that he is “seriously considering” seeking the presidency in 2020, and if he runs, he could challenge Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

Said Cuban: “I wouldn’t run unless I have solutions. If I have solutions, then I have something to offer. If I don’t, you won’t see me anywhere near being a politician.”

Cuban Gets Front Row Seat at Debate

· Leave a Comment

Mark Cuban, who has savaged Donald Trump by suggesting the GOP nominee is not really a billionaire, was given a front row seat in next week’s first presidential debate by Hillary Clinton’s campaign, CNN reports.

“Cuban has tried to publicly shame Trump throughout the 2016 campaign, regularly slamming the Republican nominee for not releasing his taxes. The attacks have been particularly effective, given Cuban’s status as a fellow billionaire and his public persona as a similarly brash businessman.”

Cuban Offers $10 Million If Trump Can Explain Policies

· Leave a Comment

After Donald Trump said Mark Cuban “is not smart enough to understand what we are doing,” Cuban challenged Trump to a four-hour interview concerning the candidate’s “policies and their substance,” offering to donate $10 million to a charity of Trump’s choosing if he accepted, the Huffington Post reports.

Cuban even said that Trump could keep the money: “If you need it, I’ll write you the check and you can keep the money rather than give it to charity.”

Cuban Says Trump Is Getting ‘Stupider’

· 72 Comments

Mark Cuban personally attacked Donald Trump, telling Extra that Trump has been running for president for a year “but you don’t look at him and say, ‘Wow, he’s gotten so much smarter on this topic or that topic.’ In fact, you look at him and say, ‘What the hell are you talking about?'”

He added: “It’s rare that you see someone get stupider before your eyes, but he’s really working at it… You have to give him credit. It’s a difficult thing to do but he’s accomplished it.”

Cuban Says Trump Isn’t a Billionaire

· 140 Comments

Billionaire Mark Cuban questioned whether Donald Trump is really a billionaire, BuzzFeed reports.

Said Cuban: “So when you’re putting your name on steaks, and you’re putting your name on water, you’re putting your name on playing cards, you’re putting your name on all this nonsense, right? You’re not gonna make big bucks, no matter what. It’s not like Trump Steaks were gonna make him $100 million. It’s not like it was gonna make him $5 million.”

He added that he has more money than Trump: “It’s not even close, I do… the reason I know is when you file your federal election campaign reports, you have to list all your cash and liquid securities and bonds. You have to list them one by one. So we know without any question that as of May 27, Donald doesn’t have more than $165 million in cash and securities and bonds.”

Trump Has Inspired Mark Cuban to Run

· 6 Comments

Mark Cuban “is so impressed with Donald Trump’s success that he is now considering running for office himself,” Politico reports.

Said Cuban: “I love the fact that he has changed the game… The idea of imperfect candidates with forceful ideas opens the door for a lot of people that would not have previously run. My positions would be far different.”

Mark Cuban Says Donald Trump is Best Thing for Politics

· 55 Comments

Billionaire Mark Cuban told Business Insider that Donald Trump is “probably the best thing to happen to politics in a long, long time.”

Said Cuban: “I don’t care what his actual positions are. I don’t care if he says the wrong thing. He says what’s on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years.”

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

More about Taegan Goddard →