Mark Cuban and Roseanne Barr have publicly disagreed about the reason Vice President Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz, the folksy governor of Minnesota, to be her running mate in the 2024 election.
Harris' search for a running mate began swiftly after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed his vice president to replace him. Heading into Monday, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Walz were all believed to be top contenders for the position.
With just over three months until the November election, Democrats are looking to build on Harris' razor-thin lead over former President Donald Trump. Walz, now in his second term as governor, has gained recognition for his progressive policies while also maintaining an ability to appeal to both urban and rural voters.
On Tuesday Cuban—a Shark Tank star and minority owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks—wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he thinks people who "don't like" Harris' choice are "missing the lesson of the switch to Harris."
"She went from worst to first as people got to know her." he wrote. "It's not a reach to think the same thing will happen with Walz.
"People are tired of the ideologues and hate from both parties. They want to vote for normal people they can relate to. Walz can sit at the kitchen table and make you feel like you have [known] him forever. That's an incredible skill these days."
At the time of writing, his post had been viewed 4 million times.
However, Roseanne Barr, a conservative supporter of Trump, has expressed her disagreement with Cuban.
"She went to 'first' because of a media cabal hiding her s***** record and low Informed people who can't research falling for it. This pick is great for MAGA and another reason Harris is a disaster," Barr responded.
MAGA is an acronym for the tagline "Make America Great Again," used by Trump during his 2016 White House run, and has since become synonymous with his most fervent followers.
At the time of writing, Barr's post had been viewed 139,700 times.
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Cuban and Barr for comment on Wednesday.
While Cuban has yet to respond to Barr's remarks, the businessman and the comedian have very different views on politics.
Barr had been a staunch progressive earlier in her career, once taking part in an Occupy Wall Street rally and running for president first for the Green Party and later for the Peace and Freedom Party. In 2016, she voted for Trump and plans to vote for him once again.
When asked in December by Newsweek why, in the face of mounting scrutiny and backlash, Barr continues to publicly share her political takes, she responded: "It's important for me to keep speaking because I can't let the f****** win. That's why."
Cuban's dislike for the former president is well documented, but he hasn't always been so anti-Trump. During Trump's 2016 campaign, Cuban even expressed interest in being his running mate.
"I don't care what his actual positions are," Cuban told Business Insider in 2015. "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."
However, Cuban's positive view of Trump didn't last long. The entrepreneur's position shifted as Trump's campaign progressed, and Cuban dubbed the Republican "bat-s*** crazy."
The pair have publicly traded barbs over the years, with Cuban criticizing Trump's business acumen and economic policies during his term. Trump responded by questioning Cuban's intelligence. During an appearance on Fox News in 2016, Trump said Cuban "isn't smart enough" to understand his economic proposals.
In June, Cuban said of Trump on X: "I don't hate the guy. Just don't want him to be President."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
