Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban has publicly sparred with senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller over tariffs and trade policy, reigniting the debate over former President Donald Trump’s economic approach. The exchange began when Cuban criticized Trump’s broad use of tariffs, prompting Miller to defend the former president’s stance and launch personal attacks.
Cuban, known for his outspoken criticism of Trump’s economic policies, recently shared a report highlighting concerns about the negative impact of Trump’s tariffs on the U.S. economy. Fox News political consultant Jessica Tarlov noted that Goldman Sachs predicted a significant GDP decrease under Trump while expecting growth under Vice President Kamala Harris. Cuban added a money emoji to his post, signaling his agreement with the report.
This prompted a social media user to ask Cuban how he would protect American industry without implementing “very punitive tariffs” like those Trump had imposed. Cuban responded by emphasizing the importance of targeted tariffs over broad ones, explaining that across-the-board tariffs act as a tax on everyone. “There is a huge difference between targeted tariffs and across-the-board tariffs,” Cuban said, adding that Harris listens to business leaders and aims to help U.S. industries succeed. “Across-the-board tariffs are a tax on everyone. They make no sense at all.”
Stephen Miller, a key figure in Trump’s administration, entered the conversation by accusing Cuban of being part of the “billionaire elites” whose profits depend on offshoring jobs. “Cuban epitomizes billionaire elites whose bottom line depends on offshoring, hence his support for the pro-offshoring candidate, Kamala Harris,” Miller claimed. He further argued that Trump’s policies focused on building wealth for American workers, while Harris’s platform allegedly prioritized foreign nations and investors.
Cuban hit back, correcting Miller’s spelling of Pittsburgh and defending his own efforts to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. “I have worked to help a portfolio company, [Guardian Bikes], move their production from offshore to Indiana,” Cuban said. He also highlighted his Dallas-based pharmaceutical company, Cost Plus Drugs, which builds robotics-based factories to produce critical drugs, including those for pediatric cancer. “Your turn…” Cuban challenged.
Miller continued the feud by digging up a 2019 post from Cuba opposing Trump’s tariffs on China, using it to label Cuban a “China-first America-last globalist sellout” and accusing him of backing Harris for the same reason. The back-and-forth between Cuban and Miller highlights the ongoing divide over the use of tariffs and how best to support American industries in the global economy.