A recent Twitter thread turned into a heated debate when Mark Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, raised a major concern about Elon Musk’s involvement in China.
Cuban's question was simple but loaded: "Are you concerned that Elon may have conflicts in any government role, given his significant Tesla investment in China?"
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It all started when Cuban posted a photo of himself with former President Donald Trump, smiling in the Oval Office, a lighthearted caption followed: "When your BFF invites you to ‘bring a friend to work day."
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The photo set off a flurry of questions and debates about Cuban's political stance, especially after he clarified he wasn't endorsing Trump but instead supporting Kamala Harris, praising her for her strong policies to help small businesses and entrepreneurs – what Cuban believes are the real drivers of economic growth.
The debate quickly moved to a broader discussion of U.S.-China relations, small business policies and economic growth. Cuban criticized Trump's approach to tariffs, calling them an "inflationary tax" that didn't benefit American businesses and made Chinese competitors cheaper.
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"Strategic tariffs like steel, EVs, are fine. I've said so many times," explained Cuban, before continuing, "Across-the-board tariffs are an inflationary tax proposed by someone who doesn't understand how tariffs work."
Instead, he argued for concentrating on technology incentives and robotics to help bring manufacturing back to the U.S. "That's what Kamala Harris understands that trump [sic] doesn't," Cuban said, accentuating how new technology could lower costs and make American manufacturing more competitive.
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One X user in the conversation, Chuck Flint, justified Trump’s regulatory policies by claiming they gave businesses much-needed relief. He maintained that the benefits of Trump's tax cuts and removing Obama-era restrictions were good for small firms.
However, Cuban didn't hold back, pointing out that broad tariffs hurt small manufacturers, many of whom have fewer than 20 employees. Cuban also questioned the logic behind using tariffs to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. without reducing costs or providing new incentives, saying, "If they could build cheaper here, they already would be doing so." He argued that Harris's incentives for tech and robotics were the real way to boost U.S. manufacturing.
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When Cuban asked Flint if he was concerned about Elon Musk's ties to China, things took a turn. Given that Musk's firm, Tesla, has substantial investments in Chinese markets and manufacturing, Cuban hinted that if Musk became involved in a Trump government, there might be a conflict of interest.
Flint replied, pointing to the NBA's financial ties and training camps in Xinjiang, a province notorious for human rights violations and accusing Cuban of having his conflicts of interest through his contacts in China.
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Cuban then responded, stating that he has always opposed Chinese abuses of human rights and citing his documentary, The China Hustle, which exposed Chinese firms that had duped American investors.
Cuban raised a key issue in the discussion of U.S. economic policy and foreign relations by challenging Elon Musk’s ties to China. Whether politicians with strong links to China can effectively steer U.S. policy remains a pressing question as the country struggles with how to approach China.
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