Mark Cuban says Trump’s billionaire backers know they can manipulate him because he’s ‘so transactional, and so devoid of core values’

“I think they believe they can manipulate him. I think they understand that he’s so transactional and so devoid of core values that anything that they want they can manipulate him to get,” Cuban said of Silicon Valley backers of Trump.

During his interview with Cohen, Cuban added that he thinks Trump is “the “most unethical” and “dishonest” person he’s ever worked with or done business with. It’s unclear what business Cuban is referring to.

Cuban added that he believes a president needs to have character and empathy, and who is “ethical when it comes to making difficult decisions.”

“I can’t even imagine why people consider Donald Trump because of his lack of character and ethics,” Cuban said.

Tesla chief Elon Musk, who Cuban often spars with on X, is now one of Trump’s biggest supporters. Musk endorsed Trump after the former president survived an assassination attempt and has expressed interest in serving on a possible government efficiency commission should Trump win the election.

Cuban also has a theory on why Musk wants to get on the Trump train.

“If you’re the wealthiest person in the world and you have control, effective control — you’re the puppet master of the president, the most powerful person in the world?” Cuban said. “Oh my god, that’s about as intoxicating — that is the definition of power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“I mean, I would — if I had the same goal, I wouldn’t care about my EV sales, right? I wouldn’t care about my Starlink sales,” Cuban added.

To be sure, this isn’t the first time Cuban has speculated on his Silicon Valley peers’ motivations for backing Trump.

In August, Cuban said he thought the tech bros who supported Trump were out for world domination.

“Watching what’s happening in Silicon Valley is insane. It’s not so much a support thing. It’s more like a takeover thing, trying to put themselves in a position to have as much control as possible,” Cuban said in an interview with the “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart.

“They’ve gotten to the point now where they feel like they should control the world right and that there should be a CEO in charge of everything because they are rich as fuck,” Cuban added during his interview with Stewart.

Cuban’s doubts about Trump go beyond business

Cuban has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election and has been increasingly vocal about his distaste for Trump in recent months.

The businessman has repeatedly railed against many of Trump’s plans. That includes Trump’s proposed tariffs, which Cuban has said would be disastrous for businesses.

Cuban’s also dislike for Trump goes beyond business. In the Monday video, Cuban accused Trump of bigotry, specifically citing the former president’s promotion of baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets.

“That’s the Roy Cohn school of management,” Cuban said, referring to Trump’s former mentor, the infamous McCarthy-era lawyer. “You demonize, demonize, demonize.”

But Cuban didn’t always feel this way. In an August interview with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Cuban said he actually started out supporting Trump, thinking the businessman could shake up politics. But after digging into Trump’s business records, Cuban said he changed his mind.

“The bigger point is Trump University. Trump SoHo. Stole $4 million from a friend of mine that had to sue to get it back. Mike Pence,” Cuban listed off, referring to the former president’s troubled real-estate training program, luxury hotel, and broken relationship with his vice president.

Earlier in March, Cuban also told Axios that he would rather vote for President Joe Biden than a “snake oil salesperson.”

“One will tell you his snake oil will cure everything that ails you. The other will show you the details of his policies through charts, graphs, and statements,” he said.

Still, Cuban denied “hating” Trump earlier this month, responding to a user on X.

“I just think he was and would be a lousy president,” Cuban wrote.

Cuban told Cohen that whoever holds the presidency needs to have good character to handle whatever problems will inevitably arise.

“You want somebody who is ethical when it comes to making difficult decisions,” Cuban said. “I can’t even imagine why people consider Donald Trump because of his lack of character and ethics.”

Cuban, Musk, and representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.