Mark Cuban talks up Kamala Harris, says Trump 'asked daddy for money'Local Sports Things To Do Politics Travel Advertise Obituaries eNewspaper Legals  ELECTIONSMark Cuban pitches Harris as better on the economy, says Trump 'asked daddy for money'Stephanie MurrayArizona RepublicSmall-business owners “can make more money” under Kamala Harris, billionaire Mark Cuban said in Phoenix, telling the crowd that Donald Trump isn’t looking out for them and that even Trump’s son Barron likes his “Shark Tank” reality TV show. Cuban, who is backing the Harris campaign, came to battleground Arizona on Saturday for a town hall with Black and Latino small-business owners. He told the group that he's in frequent contact with the Harris campaign to pitch economic policy ideas and played up his status as a non-Democrat.“I'm an independent,” Cuban said. “I'm here to tell you how you can make more money under Kamala Harris than you would under Donald Trump.”He also told the audience not to worry about the Harris campaign's proposed tax on unrealized capital gains.Harris is locked in a tight race with Trump in Arizona, the state where President Joe Biden won by the narrowest margin in the country four years ago. The top issues for Arizona voters are the economy and inflation, polls show, and those issues are part of what’s driving Trump’s narrow lead in the state.To try and close that gap, the Harris campaign is reaching out to young men of color in the final weeks of the race.Talking to a crowd made up largely of men at the Ocotillo restaurant in Phoenix, Cuban pitched Harris as someone who is open to listening to the business community and “not an ideologue.” Trump, on the other hand, has no “origin story” and does not understand small business because he was born into a wealthy family, Cuban said. “He doesn’t even know what the power of broke means,” Cuban said. “He asked daddy for money.”Trump followed in his father’s footsteps as a New York City real estate developer and businessman for decades before he ran for president in 2015. One attendee asked Cuban about the unrealized capital gains tax. A Biden White House budget proposal included the tax earlier this year and the Harris campaign was said to support the idea. Cuban said he went “ballistic” when he saw it, and that Harris hasn’t talked about it since."Some people think that there is going to be an unrealized gains, tax on capital gains. There is not,” Cuban said. “There is no tax on unrealized capital gains.”Cuban blamed a former staffer for progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who said that Harris supported the tax."Somebody went on CNBC that used to work for Elizabeth Warren and said that's what they were supporting one time. Let me just tell you, we have not seen that person again. I can’t say any more,” Cuban said.Cuban’s comments on Saturday mirrored Barack Obama’s speech in Arizona a day earlier, in which the two-term president painted Trump as an elitist and asked a Tucson crowd if they thought Trump had ever changed a tire. Cuban, who once considered standing up his own independent run for president against Trump, sharply criticized Trump’s pitch for more tariffs. Cuban said overly broad tariffs would be bad for retailers, especially around the holiday season.“Donald Trump is the Grinch that's trying to steal your Christmas,” Cuban said. “There’s strategic tariffs, and then there’s across-the-board tariffs.” A Trump spokesperson hit back in a written statement, saying that Harris is trying to “fearmonger and lie about his plan.” “Harris has always opposed tariffs because she can’t be trusted to put workers first, but President Trump will re-shore American jobs, keep inflation low, and raise real wages by lowering taxes, cutting regulations, and unshackling American energy,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly said.Felonies can be wiped from your record, but not misdemeanors. An AZ bill would change that This sticker helps ward off speeding tickets. To get one, you have to win an election US reports more than 30% drop in migrant apprehensions at Southwestern border. Here's why Border Patrol installs concertina wire along Arizona border despite low illegal crossingsCuban also told several stories about “Shark Tank,” the long-running reality show where Cuban was a “shark” investor. Cuban shared the tale of when fellow “shark” Barbara Corcoran sued Trump in the 1980s and mentioned a time when Cuban visited the Trump White House and spoke with the former president. “I'm an American first and I wasn't happy when he got elected, but they invited me to the White House to talk about health care and some of the things that I'm doing,” Cuban said. “As we were finishing up, he goes, ‘Are you still on that show, 'Shark Tank'?’ He goes, ‘Barron loves that show.’”Cuban also took several questions from the group, which focused on inflation, capital gains tax, partisanship and the impact a Harris presidency could make for female minority entrepreneurs. Afterward, attendees said they appreciated Cuban’s open approach to talking about the economy and the election. “It makes a lot of sense. I think we need more common sense people in this type of situation, where people are concerned about common sense things. There’s a lot of craziness," said Eduardo Gonzalez Diaz de Leon, the president of 258 Consulting. "Of course, I'm concerned about tariffs. I'm all for strategic tariffs, and I'm all for the USMCA Free Trade Agreement and partnerships, more than just looking for the cheapest ways to make things.”Eric Limbs, the deputy director of the Maricopa County Democratic Party, said he appreciated Cuban’s willingness to take questions on Saturday. “He doesn’t shy away from questions at all,” Limbs said, speaking about the event in his personal capacity. Entrepreneur and investor Brad Hart, a fiscally conservative centrist, said he believes it is important to take an “active role” in the political process.  “I really feel like Mark is somebody who cares about small business. He’s willing to have an open mind. While I don't believe that the candidate can always change the world, there's so many headwinds. Sometimes it's different puppets, same puppet masters no matter who is in charge. I do believe we have to try,” Hart said. “We can't just continue to go along as it has and expect things to get better. We have to take an active role and, you know, be American citizens.”Presidential race in Arizona:Follow Kamala Harris, Donald TrumpStaff Directory Careers Accessibility Support Sitemap Legals Our Ethical Principles Responsible Disclosure Subscription Terms & Conditions Advertiser Acceptance Policy Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your Privacy ChoicesContact Us Support Local Businesses Advertise Your Business Promote your Event Buy and Sell Help Center azcentral Store Licensing & Reprints Subscriber Guide Manage Account Give FeedbackSubscribe Today Newsletters Mobile Apps Facebook X eNewspaper ArchivesJobs Cars Homes Classifieds Education Shopping 10Best LocaliQ Digital Marketing Solutions© 2025 www.azcentral.com. All rights reserved.
Trump is not, and never has been the economic genius he's touted as by both him and his supporters. And the point needs to be driven home that he, in fact, wasn't "better for the economy"

- Trump didn't just inherit Daddy's empire, but also inherited a growing economy upon coming into office. All he had to do was ride those coattails, but as soon as a real crisis emerged—the covid pandemic—he mismanaged it at every turn and left office with the economy in tatters. While in the aftermath, he succeeded in scapegoating others like Dr Fauci and Joe Biden.

- An economic crisis occurred at the end of the last two Republican administrations. A democrat president stepped in both times and was forced to oversee an economic recovery. Republicans exploited both opportunities to blame and vilify their opponents, choosing instead to take advantage of a crisis for the sake of political gain and campaign talking points.

- Under Trump, the national debt ballooned by nearly 40% 

- Trump's tax cuts legislation, which disproportionately and permanently benefited the rich and corporations, did not "pay for itself," and has/will cost the government an estimated trillions.

- Trump put pressure on the fed to keep interest rates low for a political edge. This only worsened inflationary issues. All of these things did.

- Trump started a trade war with China and his tariff policies were disastrous for Americans.

Now, to elaborate more on that last part: 

Most economists agree that tariffs are not beneficial, do more harm than good, and disproportionately hurt lower income Americans.

This was made evident by Trump's tariff policies and the trade war he instigated during his presidency. To put it simply, it hurt Americans BIGLY. 

And now he's proposing higher, across the board tariffs that will have even worse economic impacts.

We haven't seen tariff policies like this since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which accelerated the Great Depression and brought global trade to a stand still.

The process of determining tariff rates is a delicate one, and a process that Trump couldn't be bothered with. It should involve complex negotiations and considerations that Trump doesn't have the mental capacity, the intellect nor the desire to work towards. This is precisely why the Biden/Harris administration was forced to repair and revamp Trump's tariff policies, adopting a more selective and calculated approach 

Trump's tariffs have and will generate economic tensions, raise prices, stifle innovation and hurt domestic industries and pass costs down to the consumer.

They will also hurt rural communities more than they will Americans living in cities. While small businesses will face economic challenges of their own as they have fewer resources and less power to manage the fallout.

> In general, it is believed that Trump’s tariffs did more harm than good, costing companies billions of dollars and reducing the demand for exported goods that were hit with retaliatory tariffs.

> In a survey of economists conducted by Reuters, the Trump administration’s tariffs were very poorly received. Almost 80% of the 60 economists surveyed believed that the tariffs... would actually harm the U.S. economy... All in all, none of the economists surveyed thought that the tariffs would benefit the economy.

> A CNBC study discovered that Trump’s tariffs actually hurt consumers greatly and equaled one of the largest U.S. tax increases in decades. Researchers have also found that the Trump tariffs lowered the real income of American workers and reduced GDP. In 2021, the Biden administration worked to undo many of these harmful trade barriers.

And when it comes to the trade deficit that Trump blames Biden for:

***The U.S. trade deficit grew under Trump’s tariffs, from $481 billion in 2016 to $679 billion in 2020.***

The trade war Trump started targeted American farmers and agricultural workers in the Midwest most of all, These are the same political groups that voted for him in droves.

As the trade war continued:

> tariffs were also shown to reduce employment and economic output, impacting the overall U.S. economy and people’s livelihoods. The tariffs also did significant damage to relationships with other countries, particularly allies

Trump's current tariff policies have been picked apart by most economists, and the economic consequences are estimated to be severe. This is what Harris was talking about when she referred to Trump's "national sales tax." Most of the damage is expected to trickle down to consumers and small businesses. And the real fucked up thing is, he probably doesn't even know how tariffs work.

Trump is touted as an "economic genius" among his supporters, but he is a notorious financial fraud who lies about his wealth and threatens to sue anyone who speculates about his *real* worth. He's bankrupted or crippled practically every business, product or service he's tried to slap his name on.

Trump has been involved in over 4,000 legal cases, many of them including financial crimes.

Tax information also shows that over a period of time in the 80s and 90s, Trump had lost more money than any other American taxpayer. He was literally the biggest loser.

Ivanka told this story once where she describes her and her father encountering a homeless man on the streets of NYC. Trump pointed to the homeless man and said something to the effect of "he has more money than me."

Here's a long list of Trump's business failures:

- Trump Casinos and Hotels 
- Trump University (The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative)
- Trump Magazine
- Trump Airlines
- Trump Beverages
- Trump "The Game" (yes a Donald Trump boardgame)
- Trump Mortgages
- Trump Steaks
- Trump Travel Site
- Trumpnet
- Trump Tower Tampa
- Trump Vodka
- Trump Fragrances
- Trump Mattress
- Trump Network
- Tour de Trump
- Trumped! (Trump Radio)
- Truth Social (why not call it "Trump Social" at this point?)

Donald Trump is not some financial guru, his administrations "economic achievements," by most metrics, benefitted the rich at the expense of everyone else. His greatest financial achievement was inheriting daddy's empire.

Before The Apprentice, Trump had squandered his riches, and if it weren't for his lucky reality TV show break, he'd be known as the failure he was always destined to be.

He is a self serving, narcissistic billionaire only interested in wealth and power, while his rich benefactors and beneficiaries come in a distant second.

If Trump is elected, he will destroy what's left of the labor movement, which has been in steady decline ever since Reagan stepped into office. Don't forget Trump's recent remarks in front of a crowd of union workers, where he said he "hated" giving overtime pay.

Trump is a useful idiot and an enabler of a broader agenda to redistribute wealth to the top, an agenda that Republicans have been working towards for decades.

Even Trump's immigration policies, and his plan for the "mass deportation" of immigrants, will reduce our economy, as it's estimated that Immigrants add trillions of dollars to our GDP. During Trump's last term, he mostly targeted *legal* immigration. And this time around, his target will be *all* immigrants.

And you know what's most frustrating about all of this? That at the end of the day, all Republicans have is, "economy bad! Democrats fault!" Ignorant of the fact that "economy bad" because of everything I just mentioned.