Mark Cuban leaves open 2020 independent run: ‘Nobody right now’ can beat Trump

Billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he has not ruled out a third-party presidential run, arguing that no current Democratic candidate is capable of defeating President Trump.

“We’ll see what happens. It would take the perfect storm for me to do it,” Cuban told CNBC’s “Halftime Report.” “There’s some things that could open the door, but I’m not projecting or predicting it right now.”

{mosads}Cuban, who has flirted with a White House bid in the past, argued there could be an opening for a centrist with charisma but without a history in politics, adding “the reality is people don’t trust politicians.”

He said that “nobody right now” in the crowded Democratic field was capable of defeating Trump in 2020, but offered praise for former Vice President Joe Biden.

“I like Vice President Biden I think he’s smart and he could do a decent job, but I think it’s way too early to tell,” Cuban told CNBC. 

Biden has led most polls of the Democratic field, expanding his lead since formally announcing his campaign late last month.

Cuban maintained that the majority of policy proposals by Democratic candidates were “headline porn” that would be dead on arrival in Congress, saying they relied on “trickle-down taxation.”

“I think that trickle-down economics is a failure. I think trickle-down taxation is just as big a failure,” he said.

Cuban has been a frequent critic of Trump after initially saying he would consider being his running mate, and he joined Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail in 2016. A December 2017 poll indicated he would beat Trump in Texas.

The Mavericks owner is not the only billionaire who has teased a 2020 run. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz has repeatedly suggested he may mount a third-party campaign, although he has yet to make any formal announcement.