Mark Cubans political views and involvement

From: allin

Mark Cuban, a prominent entrepreneur and investor, has become increasingly vocal about politics during the current election cycle [00:00:52]. He identifies as an independent, asserting he is “through and through” neither a Democrat nor a Republican [00:01:21].

Political History and Voting Record

Cuban’s voting history reflects his independent stance [00:01:23]:

• He has voted Republican before, specifically for George W. Bush twice [00:01:41].
• He also voted for Barack Obama twice [00:01:15].
• More recently, he voted for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden [00:02:18].
• His first presidential vote was for John Anderson [00:02:22].
• He actively worked on Ross Perot Jr.’s campaign in 1992, noting Perot received 19% of the vote as an independent [00:02:22]. Cuban helped Perot’s systems get into local and wide area networking, having previously met Ross Perot Sr. through his first company, Micro Solutions [00:03:07].

Cuban states his “heart is libertarian,” but he believes libertarians are “ideologues” rather than “problem solvers” [00:12:56]. He also expresses a general dislike for traditional politicians and the current state of government [00:12:43].

Views on Donald Trump

Cuban has a complex history with Donald Trump, shifting from initial acquaintance to public criticism [00:05:51]:

• Early Interactions:
  • Met Trump at a Super Bowl party at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, shortly after Broadcast.com’s sale [00:06:41].
  • Visited Trump’s office in Trump Towers in early 2000, noting that every inch was covered with pictures of Trump [00:08:14]. Cuban resolved not to become so self-absorbed if he achieved similar visibility [00:09:09].
  • Trump sent him a letter criticizing his show, The Benefactor, after its cancellation in 2004 [00:09:54].
  • They reconnected around 2007 through Trump’s son, Eric, collaborating on MMA broadcast deals for Cuban’s HDNet [00:10:23]. Trump praised Cuban at the time, stating “everything Mark Cuban touches turns to gold” [00:11:36].
• 2016 Campaign and Presidency:
  • Initially supported Trump’s 2016 run, viewing him as a positive non-politician [00:13:09].
  • Had frequent phone conversations with Trump during the campaign, where Cuban pressed him on policy details, but found Trump wouldn’t engage deeply or “learn these things” [00:15:34].
  • Began public criticism on CNN, stating Trump wasn’t making an effort to learn [00:16:37].
  • After Trump’s election, Cuban sent a congratulatory message and offered help [00:17:08].
  • Provided ideas on healthcare reform (his “10 plan”) and assisted with PPE issues during the pandemic, working with Jared Kushner and Peter Navarro [00:17:15].
  • Recalls a White House visit where Trump preferred to discuss Boeing savings rather than healthcare policy [00:18:19].
• Post-Presidency Assessment:
  • Negatives:
    • The “vibe of the country was really, really, really bad” due to the “hate that he conveyed” [00:19:20].
    • “Mean tweets” created uncertainty for businesses [00:19:35].
    • Handled the 2020 BLM protests and riots poorly, citing Trump’s “when the looting starts the shooting starts” remark and higher riot-related deaths during his term [00:19:45].
    • Accuses Trump of hypocrisy regarding being “anti-war,” citing his decision to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia despite a bipartisan resolution to stop, which fueled the Yemen war [00:20:05].
    • Presents a theory that Trump contributed to inflation by orchestrating an OPEC+ production cut in 2020 to benefit oil companies [00:23:42]. He connects this to the 2019 Yemen war, where Saudi Arabia “owed Trump a favor” for selling them weapons [00:29:59].
    • Believes Trump exhibits cognitive decline, similar to what was attributed to Joe Biden [00:44:02].
  • Positives:
    • Tax cuts, particularly lowering the corporate rate from 35% to 21% [00:39:19].
    • Operation Warp Speed [00:49:08].
    • Praises Trump as one of the “greatest salespeople ever” and a “motivator” [00:28:43]. He refers to him as “Roy Cohn Jr.” in his political tactics [00:28:54].
  • Overall: States he “just don’t think he’s the best person to be president” [00:19:02].

Views on Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris Administration

Cuban supports Kamala Harris as a “better choice for the country” compared to Trump [00:02:01].

• Criticisms of Biden/Harris Administration:
  • Handled the border “horrific,” allowing “too many people” to enter [00:49:40].
  • Overspent on government programs [00:53:01].
  • The EV charger program is a “cluster” [00:53:33].
  • The approach to breaking up companies like Google and Facebook diminishes U.S. ability to compete globally in AI [00:54:08].
  • Opposes attempts to get rid of the filibuster [00:54:49].
• Defenses/Praises of Biden/Harris Administration:
  • Biden “changed the tone of the country” by reducing daily uncertainty and “mean tweets” [00:55:04].
  • Praises support for workers and a general “sensibility” [00:55:27].
  • Acknowledges Biden eventually signed an executive order to limit asylum claims at the border, and Harris has worked with the Mexican government to reduce flow, bringing border encounters back to Trump-era levels [00:50:29].
  • Believes Harris has a “more common sense approach to dealing with deportations” and improving the asylum system, citing her support for a bipartisan immigration bill [00:52:00].
  • Defends Harris’s past rhetoric and policy shifts (e.g., on the border wall) as “people change their mind for whatever reason” and “people learn” [01:00:59]. He argues her current actions are “working” based on polling [01:06:17].
  • Praises the infrastructure bill and broadband bill [00:53:14].
  • Supports the FTC’s actions against Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) for “ripping off” companies and increasing medication costs [00:54:22].
  • Believes Harris is “open-minded,” “smart,” “does the work,” “ethical,” “honest,” and “cares” [02:21:37]. He feels she has moved to the middle because it “solves the problems of the United States of the America of America today” [02:21:58].
  • Thinks Harris understands the importance of technology for efficiency and economic growth, even if not a “geek” herself, and is surrounded by experts [01:13:01].
  • Acknowledges the national debt is a problem and that Harris’s team understands the need for efficiency and inflation control [01:10:50]. He has had conversations with her team about using AI for government optimization [01:12:19].
  • States that Harris, as a lawyer, immediately understood the problem of “regulation through litigation” concerning crypto [01:32:32].
• On Biden’s Cognitive State: While acknowledging a decline in “sharpness” and “quickness of response” making him appear like a “Walking Corpse,” Cuban states Biden’s “content” was still there [00:44:24].
• On Democratic Primary Process: While he would have liked to see a “speedrun primary” for Harris, he acknowledges the Democratic Party’s bylaws allow them flexibility to ensure winning the presidency [00:46:02].

Specific Policy Positions

• Healthcare: His primary mission is to lower healthcare costs, particularly through his company Cost Plus Drugs [01:35:57]. He believes requiring transparency in all healthcare contracts is key to reducing costs by 30-40% [01:44:09].
• AI Policy: Believes winning in AI is crucial for military and economic dominance [00:54:00]. He advocates for government to implement technology for efficiency and to grow the economy [01:14:42]. He warns against applying a “VC type just cut” approach like cutting the Department of Education, as it could cause recession [01:13:54].
• Crypto Regulation: Criticizes Gary Gensler’s approach at the SEC as “regulation through litigation,” making it difficult for companies to follow rules [01:19:05]. Advocates for clear “bright line regulations” and cites Japan’s collateral rules for crypto as a positive example [01:19:59].
• Foreign Policy:
  • Pro-Israel and anti-Hamas [01:07:46].
  • For Ukraine, he prefers spending money over putting American soldiers in harm’s way, aligning with a strong NATO [01:08:19].

Views on Elon Musk

Cuban expresses admiration for Elon Musk as an entrepreneur, calling him “the best of the best” and “insane” in his accomplishments [01:51:52]. He particularly respects Musk’s “all in” mentality, putting “every cent he has” into his ventures [02:00:11].

However, Cuban views Musk as a “troll” on Twitter (now X) and enjoys trolling him back [01:52:07]. He disagrees with the idea that Musk bought Twitter purely for “free speech,” suggesting it was more about connecting with conservative users who are “more joiners and heavier social media users” [01:53:00]. Cuban points out that advertisers avoid X due to its “free speech” stance allowing controversial content and explicit material [01:56:19]. He believes Musk “didn’t realize just how deep users will go in order to use their free speech” [01:56:50].

Future Political Aspirations

Cuban firmly states he will not run for president [01:49:03]. His family, including his wife and kids, are opposed to the idea due to the impact on their normal lives [01:49:14]. He believes that traditional political parties “don’t exist anymore” as ideological entities, serving primarily as “fundraising vehicles” [01:50:08].