From the ‘Shark Tank’ to the campaign trail: Mark Cuban teams up with Kamala Harris

LA CROSSE, WI – Mark Cuban, taking aim at former President Trump, as he warmed up the crowd at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

“The Trump that stole Christmas,” Cuban charged, as he riffed on the popular holiday classic. 

The billionaire businessman argued that the former president “wants you to have a lousy Christmas” because Trump’s proposed tariffs would increase the cost of some holiday presents.

Cuban, the co-star of the popular long-running business-reality TV show ‘Shark Tank,’ and former majority owner of professional basketball’s Dallas Mavericks, has been a very visible surrogate on behalf of Harris since she replaced President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket nearly three months ago.

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Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, in La Crosse, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ((AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Now, Cuban’s hitting the trail on behalf of the vice president – and taking aim at Trump over his proposed tariffs.

“This man has so little understanding of tariffs. He thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall,” Cuban claimed.

Cuban’s two appearances Thursday with Harris in battleground Wisconsin – at a business school class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at the rally in La Crosse – kick off a multi-day campaign swing through the key battlegrounds states that will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the White House.

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On Saturday, Cuban will hold a town hall in Phoenix, Arizona to talk about Harris’ newly announced “Opportunity Agenda,” before heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to campaign alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff on Sunday. 

Mark Cuban speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, in La Crosse, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

The efforts by Cuban – a well-known personality in both the business and sports worlds – could boost Harris as she turns up the volume on her efforts to court younger male voters in a margin-of-error race against Trump.

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Cuban’s campaign appearances on Thursday came as Trump’s best-known billionaire backer – Tesla CEO Elon Musk – campaigned on behalf of the former president in arguably the most crucial of the seven battleground states – Pennsylvania.

Musk spoke a town hall in suburban Philadelphia which was the second of a series of events to help Trump win Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes.

Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“I’m in Pennsylvania. And I’m here for the very important reason which, you know….I can’t emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is… the lynch pin and in this election and this election, I think, is going to decide, the fate of America,” Musk stressed.

Musk isn’t just hitting the campaign trail on behalf of Trump.

The person estimated to be the world’s richest has donated roughly $75 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.