Donald Trump slammed billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for criticizing his economic policy plans, complaining that "he's not smart enough" to fully understand what he is trying to accomplish, and Cuban responded by daring him to do a one-on-one interview ― for $10 million to the charity of his choice.
"Well, I know Mark, and you know the problem with Mark is, he's not smart enough to understand what we're doing," Trump told Fox Business News host Maria Bartiromo. "He's really not smart enough."
Trump said Cuban, who has become a frequent critic of his over the past few months, "tweets me all the time ... he sends me so many different tweets and calls me, although I must say not over the last number of months cause I said this guy ... he'll send out so many tweets. I'll have to send you all of the Mark Cuban tweets and conversations."
Since Cuban doesn't understand, Trump said, perhaps Bartiromo and her other hosts on Fox Business can help him explain that "we're in trouble. He's a mixed-up guy."
Cuban later in the day made his dare public to Trump through Twitter:
In a series of further tweets, Cuban laid out his rules, saying Trump couldn't mention Clinton and had to stick to discussing his economic plans, and that nobody else could be in the room but the two of them and a camera crew.
To sweeten the deal, Cuban offered to give the money directly to Trump, not to a charity, "if you need it."
Cuban told Business Insider this week that he can't think of anybody who would be a more dangerous resident than Trump.
"I can't think of anything worse than with him not having a clue," the outspoken billionaire and star of ABC's "Shark Tank," commented. "I mean, could you imagine somebody who doesn't read and doesn't learn trying to deal with the day-to-day changes and challenges of that job?"
Cuban endorsed Trump's rival, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, in an announcement in his hometown in Pittsburgh in July, surprising many after saying just a month ago that there could be a "good chance" he'd vote for Trump.
"Leadership is not yelling and screaming and intimidating," Cuban said in his endorsement. "You know what we call a person like that in Pittsburgh? A jagoff!" Cuban added, using a rude Pittsburgh slang term.
Cuban, after Trump's comments, attacked the GOP nominee before daring him to sit down for the interview:
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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