Mark Cuban believes a second term for Donald Trump would be “worse” than his first, which is why he has become one of Vice President Kamala Harris' leading evangelists in the 2024 presidential election.

Cuban, a billionaire entrepreneur and ABC's Shark tank The television star has vocally supported Harris in interviews and on social media since she won the presidency from President Joe Biden and quickly pushed for the Democratic Party's nomination this summer after Biden withdrew from the race. While Cuban said he was initially a fan of Trump's candidacy when he first announced his intentions in 2015, he is now completely annoyed with the former president.

In the last few months the Shark tank The star has readily enlisted Trump supporters and fellow billionaire Elon Musk to defend Harris against their attacks. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, founder of SpaceX and owner of

The businessman told Newsweek that he viewed Trump's first term as “bad” and warned that a second term would be “worse.” He also views Harris as someone who will work with Republicans and independents.

“She’s not an ideologue,” he said, describing her as “far more stable” and “open-minded.” Cuban, in particular, believes Harris' economic policies are good for the country, saying they will benefit both ordinary Americans and small businesses.

Newsweek conducted an exclusive email interview with Cuban on Friday. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Newsweek: You have become a vocal supporter of Vice President Harris. Why did you decide that it was important to support your candidacy so strongly in this election?

Cuban: I thought Donald Trump's first term was bad. A second term would be worse.

You have defended many Harris policies that have been attacked by conservatives. What do you think about policies like no tax on tips, tax credits for new home buyers and their plan to crack down on price gouging?

All are worth it. For real estate and gouging, they create national programs that were already in place in most states. As for tipping: I think it is a way to increase the take-home pay for those whose daily earnings are not constant.

A big issue you've been working on is the cost of prescription drugs. Can you tell us a little about what you're planning to do? And how should Harris try to solve this problem and health care more broadly if she wins?

I learned a few things from CostPlusDrugs.com. In particular, the pharmaceutical industry is the most opaque I have ever seen. It's basically arbitrage by middlemen trying to squeeze margin wherever they can. They can do this because the industry is opaque.

What we have learned at Cost Plus Drugs is that when prices and markups are transparent, the market becomes more efficient and prices drop quickly and dramatically. Additionally, self-insured companies can reduce their pharmacy coverage costs.

I think that by requiring all prices to be published, no matter how complex, self-insured employers covering more than 124 million members will be able to negotiate far better pharmacy and health care prices.

In your conversation with other business leaders, what is your opinion on Harris vs. Trump? Do you think you have an influence on your colleagues in the business world?

I deal with three types of companies, the large ones, with say more than 100 employees. Subchapter S and LLC corporations and sole proprietors.

The largest oil and gas companies are more open to Trump. By the way, I didn't see many people enthusiastic about him. Yes, they may prefer his lower tax rates, but the lack of stability, the possibility of tariffs, especially hate tariffs like he threatened John Deere, and just general uncertainty are a major downside.

They know that Kamala is far more stable and open-minded, that she has done a great job communicating with business leaders, that she is not an ideologue, and that she accepts feedback from Republicans, independents and others.

She has also made clear that she will support and use new technologies to make permitting and other government functions smaller and more efficient. That was a big plus.

When it comes to smaller pass-through businesses, I don't think the campaign has done a good job of speaking to the 33 million small businesses in this country. There are 23 million sole proprietors, approximately 8 million Subchapter S and LLCs who pay taxes at their personal rate. Probably 98 percent of them are taxed at their personal tax rate.

What the campaign does a poor job of explaining is its promise that no one making $400,000 or less will see a tax increase and 100 million will have their taxes reduced – that applies to everyone! Additionally, their deductible startup costs have increased to $500,000. That means 100 percent of businesses starting this year will see a tax cut.

What is your biggest concern for the US and the world if Donald Trump wins?

That I have no idea what will happen if he wins. Only he knows.

Many Democrats have said democracy is at stake, and Trump has threatened to arrest political opponents and critics. Do you think these are valid concerns and that Trump would follow through on these threats?

Yes.

Trump does particularly well with men. Elon Musk, whom you criticized, also has a predominantly male fan base. What do you think is so special about these male billionaires that attracts so many men? And as a male billionaire, what would you say to the men who admire Musk and Trump?

The American dream is alive and well. I admire Elon, the entrepreneur. I also think Elon, the owner of Twitter (X), is a world class troll.

Some progressives have criticized you for speaking out against Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Lina Khan. How do you respond to their criticism?

I'm not against them. I'm not advocating for her dismissal. I have said many times that what she did with PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) and scam companies was invaluable. Where I said she made a big mistake is in her advocacy for breaking up big tech companies. I think the ability of our big technology companies to win the global AI (artificial intelligence) battle is the greatest economic and military challenge facing our country.

There has been speculation that you might serve in the Harris administration. Are you interested?

No. I love what I'm doing with Cost Plus Drugs and the opportunity to revolutionize the entire healthcare industry.

Any final thoughts you would like to share?

Vote for Kamala Harris!