Joe Biden Still Has Mark Cuban's Support—Here's Why

As embattled President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure to withdraw from his campaign for a second term in the White House, billionaire businessman Mark Cuban remains one of his steadfast supporters.

Biden, the anticipated Democratic candidate for 2024, is expected to confront Republican rival Donald Trump in the upcoming November election. However, the 81-year-old incumbent’s shaky debate performance last month against Trump, 78, has amplified existing concerns about his age and mental sharpness.

During the CNN-hosted debate, many viewers noted that Biden appeared hoarse and lacked energy throughout the night. A Biden aide informed Newsweek that the president was battling a cold at the time. Biden attributed his poor performance to his decision to “travel around the world a couple of times” before the debate, against his staff’s advice, leading to his near collapse on stage, as he confessed at a Virginia fundraiser.

Biden further fueled concerns during a press conference last week when he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before correcting himself and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” These gaffes have intensified bipartisan calls for Biden to abandon his reelection bid. At least 17 Democratic members of Congress and senators have urged Biden to end his 2024 campaign. 

Hollywood actor George Clooney, in a July 10 New York Times Op-Ed titled “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,” expressed his admiration for Biden but argued that Democrats “are not going to win in November with this president.”

Despite the growing chorus of dissent, Mark Cuban stands by Biden. In March, he told Bloomberg that in a race between Biden and Trump, he would always choose Biden, even if he was “being given last rites.” Cuban declared, “I don’t want a snake oil salesperson as president. I’m voting for Biden-Harris over Trump all day every day.”

Following the June 27 debate, Cuban acknowledged in a detailed post on X, formerly Twitter, that Biden’s “performance was awful.” However, he noted that Trump’s was equally poor, stating, “Biden was feeble. Trump couldn’t directly answer a single question and lied with every response. The question is what features voters believe make a better POTUS: Feeble, Capable and Ethical vs. Vigorous, Unethical and Incapable of telling the truth. I’ll vote ethical every time.”

Cuban elaborated that Biden lacked the energy or ability to effectively counter Trump’s tactics, saying, “Joe wasn’t capable last night of debating someone who only lies. He doesn’t have the energy or ability to shout him down, hold him accountable and laugh at Trump’s responses. Joe could have held his own against a candidate that actually can discuss policy. But that wasn’t the challenge last night, and Joe wasn’t prepared or capable of dealing with Donald and his style.”

Critiquing Trump, Cuban stated there was “nothing that would give anyone confidence he could hold his own in any complicated situation or that he could intellectually go toe to toe with any world leader or adversary.” Despite Biden’s lackluster debate performance, Cuban emphasized that Biden answered the questions posed to him, albeit unremarkably, and has governed without the scandals and leaks that plagued Trump’s presidency.

Cuban conceded that optics are paramount, remarking, “Unfortunately, this election is not about policies. It’s about soundbites, social media and who delivers them better and the algorithms that deliver them to voters. Trump is far better than Biden at soundbites and marketing. That’s reality.”

While Cuban is open to discussing replacing Biden and Harris, he remains committed to voting for Biden if no better alternative emerges, stating, “I’m still voting for Biden, the ethical candidate who unquestionably stands by his oath and puts country over self-interest.”

The political discourse has somewhat mellowed recently, largely due to the assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on June 13. Minutes into Trump’s speech, a gunman opened fire, striking Trump in his right ear. Trump, surrounded by Secret Service agents, was led offstage after defiantly raising his hand in a clenched fist. One attendee was killed, and two others critically injured. The gunman was fatally shot by the Secret Service.

Despite being officially named the GOP nominee at this week’s Republican National Convention, Trump has not seen a significant poll boost following the shooting. A Morning Consult poll conducted on July 15 among 2,045 registered voters shows Trump leading Biden by just 1 percentage point, 46 percent to Biden’s 45 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. This represents a slight narrowing of Trump’s lead compared to a previous poll conducted between July 12 and 14, which had Trump ahead by 2 percentage points, 44 percent to Biden’s 42 percent.

In light of the assassination attempt, Cuban has acknowledged on social media that wishing Trump well is a humane response, regardless of political affiliation. However, he continues to critique Trump’s election strategies. Commenting on Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his vice-presidential running mate, Cuban disagreed with the notion that the choice reflects an appeal to “anti-woke Silicon Valley or finance types,” asserting that Trump is “smart enough to take their money and influence” but will ultimately “eat them up and spit them out.”

While Cuban supports Biden, he has not hesitated to criticize him when necessary. During Biden’s 2020 campaign, Cuban described him as “the right choice for business” but also accused him of being “too silent” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially praising Trump in 2015, Cuban’s stance shifted significantly by 2016, becoming a vocal critic and even offering $10 million for a four-hour interview where Trump would answer questions about his policies. This evolution is perhaps best encapsulated in a June 17 X post where Cuban stated he doesn’t “hate the guy” but simply “doesn’t want him to be President.”