Bannon wants billionaire Mark Cuban to run for prez as Democrat
New York Daily News
DENIS SLATTERY
Nov 12th 2017 12:24PM
X
Former White House strategist Stephen Bannon is encouraging another billionaire businessman to run for the White House â as a Democrat.
Bannon, who is back in his old role at right wing news site Breitbart, has spoken to Dallas Mavericksâ owner Mark Cuban several times about the possibility of running for president in 2020, the Daily Beast reported on Friday.
The âShark Tankâ star and Hillary Clinton supporter has openly mulled such a bid, but Bannonâs backing of Cuban as a Democrat adds a layer of intrigue to the pairâs relationship.
âThey talk regularly,â Sam Nunberg, a former Trump adviser and Bannon ally told the Daily Beast. âTheyâre very similar. They have a lot of synergy there. Even when (Steve) went to work for Trump, Mark would be interviewed and say nice things about Steve.â
Cuban, who sat down with Bannon at the St. Regis Hotel in Midtown weeks after Trumpâs e******n win, said the pair have exchanged texts, but nothing âmore than a full sentence.â
Slideshow preview image
18 PHOTOS
Steve Bannon
See Gallery
Bannon, who has been criticized for his ties to the alt-right and white nationalist movements, has implied that his former boss may not seek a second term, according to Vanity Fair.
On Thursday, Cuban spoke at The New York Times DealBook Conference and said that if he ran for president, it would be as a âRepublican before Democrat, and most likely independent.â
Earlier in the month, he told Chris Wallace on âFox News Sunday that he was âthinking (about it) quite a bit. Would I do it? Right now I say it is 10%.â
âWhat holds me back more than anything is my family,â he added.
Trump dismissed the idea of the rival mogul making a play for the Oval Office in February.
âI know Mark Cuban well. He backed me big-time but I wasnât interested in taking all of his calls. Heâs not smart enough to run for president!â he tweeted.
Cuban has been a vocal critic of Trump since the President started his unlikely campaign in 2015.
The 59-year-old frequently derides Trump as clueless, stupid and ignorant, but has praised Bannon as âsmartâ and said heâs done business with the alt-right darling.
âSteve Bannon is smart. Far far smarter than Trump. Trump lives in the moment. Steve will have a plan,â Cuban tweeted last year during the campaign.
Slideshow preview image
31 PHOTOS
Mark Cuban through the years
See Gallery
Bannon, an economic nationalist and far-right conservative, has openly vowed to disrupt the Republican establishment. Last month, he declared a âseason of warâ against GOP lawmakers who oppose Trump.
breaking-news logo
Sign up for Breaking News by AOL to get the latest breaking news alerts and updates delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe to our other newsletters
Emails may offer personalized content or ads. Learn more. You may unsubscribe any time.
âRight now itâs a season of war against the GOP establishment,â Bannon said at the Values V**er Summit in Washington, an annual conference of evangelical conservatives.
Running Cuban as a Democrat could be his way of shaking up both sides of the aisle.
âI think he has a lot of potential for 2020, assuming that the president doesnât run for re-e******n,â Nunberg said.
http://www.u.s.news.com I don't trust Bannon as far as i can throw him.He will do what ever he wants, just to show his true colors, and take control of the ship. He is playing both sides against each other instead of working together. We don't need another Rich and Greedy person in office, shades of Trump. What do y'all think of this? Good Deal or Bad?
Bannon wants billionaire Mark Cuban to run for pre... (