Trump declares Mark Cuban is ‘not smart enough to run for president!’
President Trump on Sunday revived his years-long Twitter war with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
“I know Mark Cuban well. He backed me big-time but I wasn’t interested in taking all of his calls. He’s not smart enough to run for president!” Trump tweeted.
Cuban’s first response was a one-word tweet: “Lol.” He also posted an exchange from the spring of 2016 in which Trump asked why Cuban had been “nasty” on CNN. The tech mogul responded by saying Trump needed to dig into the issues. “I may go after that job someday and it could be against you,” Cuban wrote to Trump via one of the property magnate’s aides.
How soon they forget …. pic.twitter.com/VXcfnjj4qX
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 12, 2017
Earlier Sunday, the New York Post published a story on the Trump administration eyeing potential 2020 foes. The tabloid’s sources reportedly said the White House’s “biggest fear” was Cuban.
“He’s not a typical candidate,” a Trump insider said, according to the Post. “He appeals to a lot of people the same way Trump did.”
The three other potential candidates name-checked in the Post article were Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Cuban and Trump have had a topsy-turvy relationship over the years and during the presidential campaign. Among other things, Trump has taunted Cuban about his golf game, his “physically weak” body, his intelligence, his wealth, his looks and the ratings of his shows, such as “Shark Tank” and “The Benefactor.” Trump has also tweeted that “nobody loves” Cuban, who took plenty more jabs at Trump.
However, they reached a détente in the summer of 2015, when Cuban publicly praised Trump’s freewheeling campaign not long after it was launched. Last July, Cuban described Trump’s White House bid as “probably the best thing to happen to politics in a long, long time.”
“I don’t care what his actual positions are,” Cuban wrote then on his Cyber Dust social media app. “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.”
“Thank you @mcuban for your nice words. I am rapidly becoming a @dallasmavs fan!” responded Trump, who had previously said he loved watching the Mavericks lose.
But their relationship soured again over time. Cuban endorsed Hillary Clinton and campaigned on her behalf, and repeatedly trolled Trump on Twitter. In one particularly notable stunt, Cuban offered Trump $10 million for a charity of his choice, in exchange for a four-hour policy interview. Cuban, who has said he doesn’t believe Trump is a billionaire, added: “If you need it, I’ll write you the check and you can keep the money rather than give it to charity.”
After the election, Cuban signaled that he was ready put aside their feud. He said he hoped that Trump would turn into a “superstar” and that people shouldn’t rush to judgment.