Mark Cuban denounces the idea that Donald Trump is a ‘great businessman’

Billionaire Mark Cuban poured cold water on the idea that the former president Donald Trump “great businessman” during an interview on CNN on Friday.

Cuban, entrepreneur and ABC‘s Shark Tank TV star, supported the vice president Kamala Harris in interviews and on social media since she got the robe from the president Joe Biden and quickly strengthened Democratic Partynomination this summer after Biden withdrew from the election race. Although Cuban said he was initially a supporter of Trump’s candidacy when he first announced his intentions back in 2015, he has now become completely disillusioned with the former president. Cuban says Harris is a pro-business candidate who can best serve the interests of small businesses and the economy as a whole.

On Friday, CNN anchor Caitlan Collins asked Cuban if he would invest in Trump’s re-election campaign if he appeared on Shark Tanklisting some of the former president’s businesses selling Trump-branded shoes, coins, cryptocurrencies, and bibles, as well as parts of his costume.

Cuban responded: “No, he’s desperate. You sell these things only because you need to, because you need money. People think he is a great businessman. If the president’s job was to invest in real estate, choose curtains and light fixtures, he’d probably be the most qualified. But that’s not true. He’s not a businessman. He failed early and often. And the worst thing about his business career is how many times he ripped off hardworking Americans.”

Newsweek reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns via email for comment.

Cuban’s remarks come as Trump’s business dealings have recently come under scrutiny. In the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled in February that Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric, and The Trump Organization were responsible for a scheme in which the value of Trump’s net worth and assets was illegally inflated to secure more lucrative business deals. Trump maintained his innocence. A judge has since ordered him and others to pay over $350 million in fines— a sum that, with interest, has grown to more than $489 million.

Engoron also banned Trump from holding any directorships for three years, and his companies were banned from borrowing from financial institutions. The former president is currently appealing the decision, and some New York Court of Appeals judges have said they may overturn the decision.

Meanwhile, Cuban eagerly took up Trump supporters and fellow billionaire Elon Musk over the past few months to protect Harris from their attacks. Musk, CEO of the company Teslafounder SpaceX and owner X, formerly Twitterbecame one of Trump’s leading surrogates, and Cuban used X as a key platform to push back against Musk and Trump allies.

The Cuban previously told Newsweek that he considers Trump’s first term “bad,” warning that a second term will be “worse.” He also sees Harris as someone who will work with republicans and independent.

“She’s not an ideologue,” he said, calling her “much more stable” and “open.” In particular, Cuban believes Harris’ economic policies are good for the country, saying they will benefit everyday Americans and small businesses.