Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban says he doesn't need a political title to shake up big systems—and if he were ever asked to replace Elon Musk in running the government, he'd still aim to shrink it dramatically.
Cuban Would Still Shrink Government—Just With a Plan
“Trying to cut the size of government… and cutting a lot of people for better or worse, comes with the territory,” Cuban said on a recent episode of “The Lincoln Project Podcast.” “You can’t make government smaller and not cut hundreds of thousands, if not, you know, some significant number.”
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Cuban joined host Rick Wilson for a wide-ranging discussion about politics, tech culture, healthcare, and economic policy. Throughout the interview, Cuban stressed the importance of planning and transparency, and his belief that without a strategy, drastic government cuts result in more harm than good.
“Shock and awe is great, but if there’s no plan behind shock and awe, it’s just shock and awful,” he said.
Cuban recently slammed changes to Social Security as a stealthy way to reduce benefits. "Got to give Doge credit for being the first to cut entitlements," Cuban posted March 19 on X, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk. "End telephone support for Social Security, cut dozens of SS offices and make Grandma and Grandpa finally get online to confirm their payments. What an amazing back-door way to cut payments!"
He added, "Gonna be some upset seniors at town halls!" The post quickly went viral, with more than 9 million views.
Government Cuts: Not If, But How
Cuban said he agreed with the idea of making government smaller, something he says he discussed with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris while campaigning for her. But he disagrees with how it’s being done by current political leaders.
“What they’ve done is ready, fire, aim,” he said. According to him, there’s a right way to do it, with a staggered plan that communicates what you’re doing, “so there’s not chaos and economic uncertainty.”
He warned that slashing government jobs and funding without a plan can result in severe second-order effects, especially in small towns. “They’re cutting the forestry service and a lot of those people live in small towns in the state of Washington or the state of Oregon, and now all of a sudden, those towns, their economies are decimated.”
He also pointed out that cutting college grants and research budgets leads to layoffs, impacting contractors, communities and the economy at large.
Not a Politician, but Still Speaking Out
Cuban made it known that he’s not running for office. But as a self-made billionaire, he said he’s in a unique position to call things like he sees them without worrying about political fallout.
“I got rich as f***, so I didn't have to care what anybody thought,” Cuban said. “I'm focused on doing something I think is very beneficial, which is Cost Plus Drugs and changing health care and trying to save lives and save money.”
Unlike many political donors, Cuban said he doesn't give money to candidates. Instead, he wants his ideas to stand on their own: “Either my ideas hold up and you think there’s value in them or they don’t. And if they don’t, that’s fine too.”
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