Billionaire and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban confronted Bill Ackman and Charlie Kirk, allies of former President Donald Trump‘s, on Sunday with a series of posts on social media.
Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, is set to face off against Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, in November.
In a lengthy Sunday post on X, formerly Twitter, Ackman, also a billionaire, criticized Biden for dropping out of the race and the subsequent Democratic nomination of Harris as he wrote that the “American people were misled.”
“How can anyone trust anything she says? Even if you carefully watch her speak or read the transcripts of the four interviews and one debate she has done, it is nearly impossible to understand what she is saying. She has yet to answer a direct question about the economy, the border, or foreign policy,” Ackman, who endorsed Trump in July, wrote.
Harris has previously laid out her economic agenda as she called for higher taxes on upper-income households, bigger tax deductions for startup businesses, and greater financial assistance for first-time homebuyers.
In regard tothe southern border, Harris said during her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, she’d revive the bipartisan border security agreement, voted down by Senate Republicans in May. With foreign policy, Harris has promised to “strengthen, not abdicate” America’s global leadership, and has twice stated that the U.S. will defeat China in the “competition for the 21st century.”
In response to Ackman’s post, Cuban, a frequent critic of Trump, wrote: “When the competition hires a new CEO and she is kicking your a**.”
Ackman, the Pershing Square Capital Management CEO, previously voted for Biden, writing in his X post, “I voted for @JoeBiden because after @realDonaldTrump’s first term, I believed the country would benefit by a more centrist candidate.”
He also apologized “for casting my vote for Biden,” adding that “it was a big mistake.”
In another X post seemingly responding to Ackman’s claim that “Harris’s entire candidacy relies on support from an undisclosed cabal of party leaders,” Cuban asked, “Would you consider fund raising a good indication of relative support? She only raised 3x the amount he did.”
By late August, just four weeks into her campaign, Harris had taken in around $500 million, according to a report from Reuters that cites four anonymous sources “familiar with the fundraising effort.”
Of the reported $500 million, $200 million was raised during the first week of Harris’ campaign, with a total of $310 million raised in July. In comparison, the campaign of Trump reported raising a total of $138.7 million during July.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s and Harris’ campaign via email for comment.
Mark Cuban is seen on March 1 in Boston. Cuban confronted Bill Ackman and Charlie Kirk, allies of former President Donald Trump’s, on Sunday with a series of posts on social media.
Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
Meanwhile, in response to Harris’ Saturday post on X regarding her economic plan that “would give first-time homebuyers $25,000 in down payment assistance,” Kirk, founder and president of conservative organization Turning Point USA, took aim at her.
“And homes would just become $25,000 more expensive. Why is this so hard for her?” Kirk, a supporter of Trump, wrote on X.
In response, Cuban shared a screenshot of Austin, Texas,’ down payment assistance program in which he highlighted a section that states “Sales price of the home cannot exceed $525,350.”
In another X post, Cuban addressed Kirk, “Hey @charliekirk11, If you are looking to buy a first time home in Houston, here is some non-inflationary help for you,” with a screenshot of Houston, Texas,’ homebuyer assistance page that states the qualifications for the program which offers $50,000 to income-qualified residents.
What the Polls Show
This comes as the economy has become a key issue for voters as Trump and Harris aim to address the issue before November, with polls consistently showing that the economy is at the top of voters’ minds in this election.
The most recent New York Times/Siena College poll, conducted between September 3 and 6, showed the same trend, with 22 percent of likely voters choosing the economy and jobs as the most important issue, ranking above every other issue.
However, polls have varied in their findings on which candidate voters trust most with the economy.
Polling released by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan this month found that voters trust Harris, regardless of their opinion of her and how they plan to vote, more than Trump on the economy (42 to 41 percent).
However, only 12 percent of respondents said that they believe Harris’ economic policies will leave them “much better off” financially, while 22 percent said the same for Trump’s policies. Of the 1,001 registered voters surveyed, only 25 percent reported positive economic conditions in the country.
Other polls have found Trump significantly ahead of Harris on economic issues. A CNBC All-America Economic Survey from August 8 found that voters think they will be financially better off under Trump than Harris by a 2-to-1 margin.
In a national poll conducted by NBC News from September 13 to 17 that was released on Sunday, Trump was ahead of Harris on issues of the economy by 9 points (50 to 41 percent). When NBC News asked voters whether Trump or Biden would be better at handling the economy in January, Trump was ahead of Biden by 22 points. Sunday’s NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
