Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, has blasted billionaire Mark Cuban for playing “footsie” with the election, and threatened to “brawl” with him over his thoughts on the chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Ocasio-Cortez responded to a statement Cuban gave at a Kaiser Family Foundation lunch on Tuesday, where he said if he were Kamala Harris, he would not keep Lina Khan on as the chair of the FTC.
Khan, who has been the chair of the FTC since 2021, has been heavily involved in starting antitrust probes against pharmaceutical companies and “big tech.”
Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC‘s Shark Tank, who has been a front-line Harris spokesperson during the 2024 election, told Semafor that he believes Khan has overstepped in her role, especially when it comes to regulating AI. He said: “The bigger picture is, she’s hurting more than she’s helping.”
Cuban has been contacted via email for comment.
Left: AOC speaking during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Right: Mark Cuban at the Round 1 Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs Crypto.com Arena, Lost Angeles, April 23, 2024. AOC has come after Cuban for playing ‘footsie’ with the election, and for criticizing the chair of the FTC.
Getty Images/Left: Alex Wong, Right: Kevork Djansezian
Ocasio-Cortez, who has represented New York’s 14th district since 2019, came out swinging for Khan, saying: “Let me make this clear, since billionaires have been trying to play footsie with the ticket:
“Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl. And that is a promise.”
Ocasio-Cortez added that Khan has been instrumental in her role, saying: “She proves this admin fights for working people. It would be terrible leadership to remove her.”
Let me make this clear, since billionaires have been trying to play footsie with the ticket:
Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl. And that is a promise.
She proves this admin fights for working people. It would be terrible leadership to remove her. https://t.co/ba3nUY35Cg
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 9, 2024
Ocasio-Cortez and the FTC have been contacted via email for comment.
Ocasio-Cortez’s opinions were backed up by Bernie Sanders, who posted to X “[Mark Cuban] is wrong. Lina Khan is the best FTC Chair in modern history.”
Khan has received bipartisan support for her efforts within the FTC to break up monopolies.
Newsweek reported on September 23 that Donald Trump‘s running mate, JD Vance, previously praised Khan for her efforts to boost competition between companies and her push to address low wages and high prices.
Lina Khan attends the Fast Company Innovation Festival 2024, September 19, 2024 in New York City. Mark Cuban criticized Khan for her policies on AI and big tech.
Eugene Gologursk/Getty Images
Ocasio-Cortez’s accusation of billionaires, including Cuban, playing ‘footsie’ with the election is likely due to the amount of media attention Cuban has received in recent months from his vocal support of Kamala Harris and her fiscal policies, and his derision of Donald Trump’s trade positions.
In a September 26 interview with Neil Cavuto on Cavuto’s Fox News show ‘Your World on Wednesday‘ Cuban said that he supports Harris because she is: “very thorough, very precise, her team vets every idea, that’s important as a business person because you can trust what she says.”
Cuban called also Trump “insane” for his proposed policy on enacting a 200 percent tariff on American companies who move their production overseas.
