Mark Cuban has an idea why former President Donald Trump has so many supporters in Silicon Valley — and it has a lot to do with Trump’s background, he said.
The billionaire investor and “Shark Tank” star addressed Trump’s politics in an interview with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen earlier this week, telling the progressive that Trump is the “opposite” of a person with good character.
“I think they believe they can cheat him. I think they understand that he’s so hard-working and has no core values that anything they want they can cheat him to get,” Cuban said of supporters. the Trumps in Silicon Valley.
During his interview with Cohen, Cuban added that he thinks Trump is the “most dishonest” and “dishonest person” he has ever worked with or done business with. It is not clear what the Cuban business is about.
Cuban also said that he believes that the president needs to have character and compassion, and who has “good behavior when it comes to difficult decisions.”
“I can’t even imagine why people consider Donald Trump because of his lack of character and ethics,” Cuban said.
Tesla head Elon Musk, who Cuban often talks to at X, is now one of Trump’s biggest supporters. Musk recommended Trump after the former president survived an assassination attempt and expressed interest in serving in a potential government. commission that works best if Trump should win the election.
Cuba also has an idea why Musk wants to ride the Trump train.
“If you are the richest person in the world and you have control, effective control – you are the master puppeteer of the president, the most powerful person in the world?” Cuban said. “Oh my god, that’s almost intoxicating – it’s the definition of destructive power, but absolute power is absolutely destructive.”
“I mean, I would – if I had one goal, I wouldn’t care about my EV sales, would I? I wouldn’t care about my Starlink sales, Cuban added.
To be fair, this isn’t the first time Cuban has second-guessed his Silicon Valley peers’ pro-Trump sentiment.
In August, Cuba said it thinks tech entrepreneurs who support Trump are out to rule the world.
“Watching what’s happening in Silicon Valley is crazy. It’s not very reliable. It’s like a takeover thing, trying to put yourself in a position to have as much control as possible,” Cuban said. communication and “Daily Show” host. Jon Stewart.
“They’ve gotten to the point where they feel like they have to rightfully run the world and have a CEO run everything because they’re so rich,” Cuban added during his interview with Stewart.
Cuba’s suspicions about Trump go beyond business
Cuban has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election and has been vocal about her anger for Trump in recent months.
The businessman has repeatedly spoken out against many of Trump’s plans. That includes Trump’s proposed tariffs, which Cuban said would be harmful to businesses.
Cuba’s dislike of Trump goes beyond trade. In a Monday video, Cuban accused Trump of bias, specifically citing the former president’s ad for baseless allegations that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets.
“That’s the Roy Cohn school of management,” Cuban said, referring to Trump’s former adviser, the famous McCarthy-era lawyer. “You are demons, demons, demons.”
But Cubans didn’t always feel this way. In an August interview with former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Cuban said he actually started supporting Trump, thinking the businessman could shake up politics. But after digging into Trump’s business records, Cuban said he changed his mind.
“The bigger issue is Trump University. Trump SoHo. He stole $4 million from a friend of mine who had to sue to get it back. Mike Pence,” Cuban listed, referring to the training program of houses and residences of former presidents, luxury hotels. , and damaged the relationship with his vice president.
Earlier in March, Cuban also told Axios that he would vote for President Joe Biden instead of a “snake oil salesman.”
“One will tell you his snake oil will cure everything that ails you. Another will show you the details of his strategies with charts, graphs and statements,” he said.
However, Cuba denied “hating” Trump earlier this month, responding to a user on X.
“I think he was and will be a brutal president,” Cuban wrote.
Cuban told Cohen that whoever holds the presidency needs to have good character to deal with any problems that arise.
“You want someone who has a good sense of style when it comes to making tough decisions,” Cuban said. “I can’t even imagine why people consider Donald Trump because of his lack of character and ethics.”
Cuban, Musk, and Trump’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.