Cuban answered: “Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever. It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them and, you know, Nikki Haley will call him on his nonsense with reproductive rights and how he sees and treats and talks about women. I mean, he just can’t have her around. It wouldn’t work.”

Some of the talk show hosts seemed to interpret the remarks as referring to women who appear side by side with Trump while campaigning rather than his supporters; as Whoopi Goldberg said, “I think he means onstage and stuff.” But Cuban still faced some backlash.

He later clarified on X that he knows many strong, intelligent women who are voting for Trump, including some in his extended family; that he isn’t saying female voters aren’t smart, strong, or intelligent; and that he knows Trump has worked with strong and intelligent women in the past. But he stands by his opinion that Trump doesn’t like to be challenged publicly.

Cuban has since apologized for what he said, claiming it may not have come out correctly, and that it wasn’t about Trump voters, supporters, or employees.

Trump had words for Cuban. He posted on X: “Mark Cuban, a really dumb guy, who thinks he’s ‘hot stuff’ but he’s absolutely nothing, is now out there saying that I don’t surround myself with strong women. Actually, he is very wrong, I surround myself with the strongest of women – With the understanding that ALL women are great, whether strong or not strong.”

Trump continued, after a few more jabs: “I may, in fact, be surrounded by the strongest women in the World, including Heads of Countries, who make Mark look like a ‘baby!’ All strong women, and women in general, should be very angry about this weak man’s statement.”

Trump has regularly insulted women who may pose a threat to him, such as his former opponent Hillary Clinton. Trump once called her “the devil” and an “enabler” of her husband’s infidelity, who “attacked those same women and attacked them viciously,” he said. Trump has deemed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi an “enemy from within.” And in referring to his current rival, he’s called her “Lyin’ Kamala” and “Comrade Kamala.” He’s also called her “dumb as a rock.” 

The posts from the former president and the famed Shark Tank judge have millions of views, and we’re less than a week away from the election. It’s been widely reported that there is a gender gap in this election: Harris has stronger support from women in swing states, and Trump has stronger support from men in swing states. 

Trump needs women, and Haley may have been a way to reach them via her own supporters—but she’s only on “standby” for his campaign, Haley recently said. She has endorsed Trump, but criticized the ticket’s rhetoric toward women, suggesting they “need to change the way they speak about women,” in an earlier interview. 

Trump has attempted to appeal to women, but whether it is working or not is unclear. During a rally this week, he said he’d protect American women, “whether the women like it or not.” 

Harris is using those words against him on the campaign trail, and said at a rally: “He simply does not respect the freedom of women or the intelligence of women to know what’s in their own best interests and make decisions accordingly. But we trust women.”

On another earlier occasion, he said his administration would be great for women and their reproductive rights. That is despite Trump taking credit for overturning Roe v. Wade by appointing three Supreme Court justices who were in the majority that voted to end a constitutional right to abortion. 

We’ll see who women show out for, and if this online interaction between the two male billionaires makes much of a difference.