Despite the rumors, Mark Cuban says he is not playing Donald Trump to help Hillary Clinton get ready for the presidential debates.
“[I] haven’t been asked,” the billionaire and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks told Business Insider in an email.
Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino Tweeted on Tuesday that Clinton was waiting for Cuban’s response after he was asked to play the role of the Republican nominee in her debate preparation.
waiting for @mcuban response to talk that @HillaryClinton camp wants him to sit in for @realDonaldTrump in debate prep (great choice btw)
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) August 30, 2016
He then later Tweeted that sources confirmed Cuban was willing to play Trump during her prep:
#BreakingNews sources say @mcuban has told @HillaryClinton people he is willing to play @realDonaldTrump in her debate prep
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) August 30, 2016
As for who will sit in for Trump, the Clinton Campaign has yet to confirm or deny any of the various reports of potential alternatives, according to BI.
Gasparino wasn’t the only one who liked the idea of Cuban playing Trump. A recent column by The Hill pointed out the similarities between the two, arguing that their similar backgrounds and personas would make Cuban a good debate partner for Clinton.
Cuban, who is also a Shark Tank investor, endorsed Clinton during a rally in his hometown of Pittsburgh last month. Prior to that he mentioned he might be interested in the vice presidency for either Trump or Clinton. But when a Twitter user followed up with that, Cuban Tweeted that he “can impact more creating and investing in companies.”
Fortune has reached out to both Cuban and the Clinton campaign and will update the story if they respond.
