Shark Tank's Mark Cuban, Donald Trump Duke It Out On Twitter/X

Shark Tank’s most popular “shark,” Mark Cuban, is embroiled in yet another Twitter kerfuffle — this time with former President Donald Trump, the latter of whom is seeking to return to the office of President after next week’s election.

When Trump was elected previously, that election – 2016 – was occasionally dubbed “the reality TV election.”

That wasn’t a pop culture thing, either — scholars and analysts sincerely and seriously credited reality television for the twists and turns of the 2016 election.

Immediately after Trump’s unexpected victory, film and media expert Richard Chapman contrasted perceptions of Trump with those of Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, marking the former as inherently “unscripted,” and the latter overproduced:

“The role of television in shaping the public image of both presidential candidates speaks to the issue of ‘scripted’ versus ‘unscripted’ content. Donald Trump has a long history of unscripted improvisational public speaking, mixing elements of stand-up comedy, insult humor, and prosecutorial attack. He’s the guy on the next barstool, issuing extreme opinions and colorful tirades …
” … If President-Elect Trump’s electronic image is an eccentric blend of freakish must-see TV in which anything goes, the Clinton campaign is ‘Not TV. It’s HBO.’ It’s Hillary Box Office, a brilliant mélange of policy potpourri, glass-ceiling-shattering historical importance, and even a hint of the wacky, wise grandmother.”

Of course, 2016 was a long time ago, and much has changed — yet America is facing a potential re-run.

Enter Mark Cuban, who has the odd distinction of sharing rare traits with Trump, while being vastly unlike the former president.

Like Trump, Mark Cuban is a reality TV titan in the “shows about business” genre.

But where Mark is known for funding fledgling businesses alongside his fellow sharks, Trump’s presidency was arguably enabled by the national exposure he enjoyed presiding over fifteen seasons of The Apprentice.

Earlier this month, we covered Mark’s friendly Twitter debate with fellow shark Kevin O’Leary on the now-hot topic of tarriffs.

In that coverage, we touched upon Cuban’s active efforts with respect to the 2024 election:

“Mark has also been actively involved in the upcoming 2024 election, stumping for Kamala Harris, debating policy on Twitter/X, and generally leveraging his massive platform to fight disinformation and the encroachment of authoritarianism in American politics.
“Like with [his low-cost pharmacy] Cost Plus Drugs, [Mark] doesn’t have to do any of that — he’s just choosing to invest his time and resources there because he believes it’s the right thing to do.”

Part of Donald Trump’s lingering appeal to some voters almost certainly traces back to his persona on The Apprentice, and as such, Mark Cuban is uniquely poised to tap into the same pop culture “standing” to challenge the 45th President of the United States in what can only be described as Season 2 of the Reality TV Election.

Shark Tank Stars Mark Cuban And Barbara Corcoran Have Opposite Opinions On Donald Trump

Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran are completely different when assessing Donald Trump’s approach to business.

Trump Lashed Out At Cuban Over The View

The current Twitter/X beef between Mark and the former president kicked off after Cuban appeared on The View, and the subject of Trump’s campaign reared its head.

At this particular stage of the now-imminent 2024 election, potentially controversial statements and semantic debates are appearing non-stop in an accursed, relentless news cycle to which all American citizens are currently chained.

The View shared the clip in question on Instagram, tagging Mark (@mcuban):

Mark’s The View statements are one such debate about semantics and the precise meaning of what was said.

During the segment, Mark opined that Trump shuns “strong, intelligent women,” asserting that the star of The Apprentice found them to be “intimidating.”

Cuban pointed to Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, a Republican, as an example of the type of “strong [woman]” Trump eschews:

“Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women, ever. It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them …
” … [Former UN Ambassador] Nikki Haley will call him on his nonsense with reproductive rights and how he sees and treats and talks about women. I mean, he just can’t have her around. It wouldn’t work.”

Twitter account @TrumpWarRoom immediately responded, accusing Mark and the campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris of “now openly attacking the millions of strong, intelligent women fighting alongside President Trump every day to Make America Great Again.”

Trump – who was famously banned from Twitter/X for his activity on January 6th 2021, and reinstated in late 2022 – shared a lengthy screed about Mark Cuban following his comments on The View.

In that tweet, Trump “weaved” from Mark’s remarks to claims that Cuban sought his assistance during his presidency, before settling upon Mark’s prowess at golf:

“Mark Cuban, a really dumb guy, who thinks he’s ‘hot stuff’ but he’s absolutely nothing, is now out there saying that I don’t surround myself with strong women. Actually, he is very wrong, I surround myself with the strongest of women – With the understanding that ALL women are great, whether strong or not strong.
“This guy is such a fool, he’s constantly on Television being critical, and only for the reason that I tuned him out completely while President because he called incessantly. I told him, very pointedly, ‘Look Mark, I’ve got a lot of things to do, I just can’t be taking so many pointless calls from you.’
“In any event, that affected him greatly, because he’s a very insecure guy, and a MAJOR LOSER, always has been and always will be! Nobody likes him, nobody respects him, and he’s unattractive both inside and out! He should go back to talk about the person he was forced to support, because I didn’t want it, Lyin’ Kamala Harris. Also, he’s got no clubhead speed!”

A Trump spokesperson repeated the claim that Mark called the former President “incessantly” to TMZ.

In true Mark Cuban fashion, he took the Trump campaign pushback in stride, saying in part:

“When I said this during the interview, I didn’t get it out exactly the way I thought I did. So I apologize to anyone who felt slighted or upset by my response. As I said, it wasn’t about trump voters, supporters or employees. Current or former[.]”

Cuban gamely assumed responsibility for the kerfuffle, adding: “And, I set myself up for the 6 [second] soundbite. No excuses. Can’t nail every interview. My skin is thick enough.”