On Tuesday, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said that he's "considering" running for president, while adding that he isn't committed to the idea. We'd say, ominously, that this is how it starts, except this isn't nearly the first time Cuban's said something like this.
Cuban made that statement on the podcast of ex-South Carolina state rep Bakari Sellers, Viewpoint, after Sellers asked him point blank "Mark, are you considering running for President of the United States?"
"Yes. Considering, yes," the Mavs owner said. "Ready to commit to it, no." Cuban further stated that he'd run if he could come up with answers on issues that people would get behind, but that he would not if it was simply a popularity contest.
Later in the day he made similar comments on CNBC's Fast Money where he said he's "actively considering" a run for president, while also adding that there's a 90 percent chance he won't actually do it.
"Based off what's happening in the White House, based off what's happening in the country and the world, we need better leadership. And I think I could do a better job," he said. "But there's a lot more to it than just thinking you can do a better job, and so I'm not ready to make the commitment."
He further added that "It's not my all-time dream to be president of the United States." And said that he'd throw his support behind a candidate who's better than him, should one emerge over the next three years.
This past election season, Cuban threw his support behind Hilary Clinton while occasionally beefing with Donald Trump—though Cuban also once called Trump the "best thing to happen to politics in a long, long time," which sounds like a quote that could come back to bite him in a future campaign ad.
Anyway, we probably would've laughed at the thought of a rich businessman with a huge ego, experience on TV, and no background in public service winning the presidency about, say, two years ago. Doesn't seem quite so funny anymore.
