• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

2

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026

1

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

2

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
PoliticsMark Cuban

Mark Cuban says Donald Trump is not Kamala Harris’ main rival anymore—it’s Elon Musk

By
Chloe Berger
Chloe Berger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Berger
Chloe Berger
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 23, 2024, 10:28 AM ET
Elon Musk jumping at a rally held by Former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
Elon Musk jumping at a rally held by Former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.Anna Moneymaker / Staff

While Donald Trump might be on the ballot come Nov. 5, it’s really a different rich old white man that Kamala Harris has to ward off. So says fellow billionaire investor Mark Cuban.

Recommended Video

“Really it comes down to ‘get out the vote,'” said Cuban, on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “And the crazy thing is, it’s the Harris campaign versus Elon—not even versus Trump,” the Shark Tank judge, who has campaigned for Harris, added.

While both parties enter crunch time in what has been deemed by some to be one of the closest elections in the nation’s history, Musk has been becoming all the more of an oversized figure in the race. “Elon is running the ground game for the Republicans. And that is really what the race is all about the last two weeks,” Cuban said in a statement to Fortune.

Indeed, Musk—who has previously fixated on privatizing Mars, running Twitter into the ground, and making delicate EVs—has found a new toy to play with: America’s democracy. He was revealed to be the sole donor to a super PAC named America PAC, which funneled $74 million to Trump’s campaign between just July and September, per Federal Election Commision filings. 

Musk has since announced that he’d be giving $1 million every day until the election to those living in a swing state who sign his online petition in regards to support of the First and Second Amendments. Using the words of a multi-level marketing girlie, Musk tweeted that for a short period, registered voters who live in Pennsylvania and sign or refer someone to the petition will also receive $100. Musk has already given $1 million checks to two attendees at rallies hosted by his PC, notes Reuters. The legality of said scheme has been questioned. 

Calling Musk’s petition both “innovative” and “desperate,” Cuban noted on CNBC “that you only do that because you think you have to.” While he didn’t give his sign-off on the venture and noted it could backfire, Cuban said a sweepstakes itself is “not a bad idea.” As for its legality, after looking into it “as a sweepstakes it looks like it may be, but from a FEC perspective, I have no idea.”

The ultra-wealthy take on the presidential race

Billionaires, in general, have taken on a ballooning influence in politics. Having raised $1 billion in just three months before the end of September, Harris broke fundraising records, per The New York Times.

Despite Musk’s vocality, Harris has a greater number of billionaires publicly backing her than Trump: at 79 and 50, respectively, according to Forbes. Of course, that’s led to a bit of mixed messaging on the Democrat’s side as the party known for higher taxes against the uber-wealthy must toe the line for their donors.

Speaking against the potential of Harris taxing unrealized capital gains, Cuban asserted that was “not going to happen.” And “if for some reason she lied about it, I would campaign against her so there wouldn’t be a second term.” It seems as if on both sides, the wealthy are playing a large hand in strong-arming candidates.

“That was the regular season, this is the playoffs,” said Cuban of certain polls that show a narrowing lead for Harris. “You gotta play like you’re one point behind, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter delivers clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
By Chloe Berger
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

Anthropic cofounder and CEO Dario Amodei pictured in profile.
AIAnthropic
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
By Jeremy KahnJune 13, 2026
4 hours ago
‘Buy a ticket for 60 bucks and resell it for $6,000’: NYC Mayor Mamdani criticized FIFA’s resale market, but his jersey drop created the same thing
North AmericaNew York City
‘Buy a ticket for 60 bucks and resell it for $6,000’: NYC Mayor Mamdani criticized FIFA’s resale market, but his jersey drop created the same thing
By Catherina GioinoJune 12, 2026
10 hours ago
reagan
Personal FinanceSocial Security
Social Security’s 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
By John W. Diamond and The ConversationJune 12, 2026
14 hours ago
dan
PoliticsElections
Dan Sullivan could be kicked out of Alaska Senate primary — but not that Dan Sullivan
By Becky Bohrer and The Associated PressJune 12, 2026
16 hours ago
Elon Musk
InvestingMarkets
When SpaceX starts trading, some ‘shareholders’ will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
22 hours ago
fda
HealthTobacco
Why is the FDA approving kid-friendly, fruit-flavored e-cigarettes?
By Matthew Perrone and The Associated PressJune 12, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Investing
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
22 hours ago
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 12, 2026
19 hours ago
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
Success
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
By Catherina GioinoJune 11, 2026
2 days ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 11, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.