(NewsNation) — Mark Cuban, a major backer of Vice President Kamala Harris, sparred with Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and noted Donald Trump supporter Dana White on NewsNation’s preelection town hall Wednesday.
The two businessman bickered over their candidates’ impact on the economy and America’s current inflation rate, with White saying Harris has “done nothing” during her tenure and Cuban advocating for Harris’ future plans.
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Cuban said he “can’t deny that there’s inflation,” but there are more nuanced concerns at hand, including the cost of health care. Referencing Trump’s “concept of a plan” about replacing Medicare, Cuban pointed to Harris’ proposed medical changes.
“Under Trump … the inflation rate will only continue at the same rate or go up, which means you’re going to keep on going backwards if anybody in your family gets sick at all,” Cuban said.
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The former “Shark Tank” investor also pointed out that the Biden-Harris administration inherited their economic problems from Trump.
“I’ll tell you exactly when the very first kernel of inflation was set, and that was in April of 2020. It was right at the early days of the pandemic,” Cuban said, going on to explain that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump chose “his oil company cronies” over keeping gas prices low.
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“You can take all you want and blame it on the Biden administration, but it started with Donald Trump,” Cuban said, later admonishing the businessman’s tariffs and their impact on the Obama economy he inherited.
2020 saw the lowest inflation rate in years at 1.4%, followed by a massive spike in 2021, when rates hit 7%. Inflation peaked at a four-decade high of 9% in the summer of 2022, under Biden and Harris.
It has since dwindled back down to 2.4% in 2024, according to US Inflation Calculator.
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White pushed the blame back to Biden, honing in on what he sees as Harris’ pitfalls compared to the GOP nominee.
“Trump has already proven he can build a strong economy, he can secure the borders, and he is somebody that allies and adversaries respect. Those are all very important things. What has she proven?” White asked.
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During his presidency, federal debt held by the public rose from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion, influenced by Trump’s tax cuts, particularly his slashes to the corporate tax rate, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck project.
While White didn’t directly address the economy or Trump’s impact on inflation, he doubled down on his criticism of Harris, saying: “She is the sitting vice president of the United States right now. She’s proven nothing. She’s done nothing. I think she’s in over her head. She knows she’s in over her head.”
“Nobody voted her there. Nobody voted Kamala Harris. If she went up against other Democrats, she would not be in the position she’s in right now,” White added.