Billionaire Bitcoin Investor Mark Cuban Teases 2020 Trump Challenge

By CCN: Donald Trump might not be the only billionaire in the 2020 presidential race. Americans could have an alternative to both Trump and whoever wins the wide Democratic field in the form of billionaire Mark Cuban – owner of the Dallas Mavericks, prolific entrepreneur, and cautious Bitcoin optimist.

Mark Cuban Waiting for a ‘Perfect Storm’ to Spark Presidential Aspirations

Cuban told CNBC “we’ll see” when asked if he would run for president as an independent in 2020. He said it would take a “perfect storm.” Donald Trump has one of the lowest approval ratings of any president, and the upcoming election is the Democrats’ to win.

A pro-business candidate without all the dramatic baggage might offer a refreshing alternative. Lacking allegiance to either political party could ultimately lead to a realistic “draining of the swamp.”

Cuban has repeatedly been critical of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies generally, although he’s flip-flopped on the subject and reportedly owns a small amount of Bitcoin. Despite this, he’s invested in multiple blockchain companies, including Dust and Unikrn.

President Trump’s Bitcoin Game Is Weak

Donald Trump’s presidency has done little for the regulatory environment of cryptocurrency, as the president focuses on meat-and-potatoes domestic and foreign policy issues.

The Trump administration’s regulators have yet to approve a Bitcoin ETF, and the president has never spoken of cryptocurrency in public statements. He did make history when he signed the first executive order mentioning cryptocurrency, but that action wasn’t exactly crypto-friendly.

Donald Trump may have met his match in fellow businessman and reality TV star Mark Cuban. | Source: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Winning the Bitcoin vote wouldn’t be enough for Mark Cuban to take the White House, of course. Running at all might siphon enough votes away from Donald Trump to give Democrats – perhaps cryptocurrency investor Tulsi Gabbard? – a better chance. Cuban expounded on the notion:

“There’s some things that could open the door, but I’m not projecting or predicting it right now. I still think there’s a real opportunity for somebody who is in the middle but has some charisma, has the ability to relate to both sides but is not a politician. The reality is people don’t trust politicians.”

The election of Donald Trump certainly proves that Americans are tired of the same old politics. Cuban, Michael Bloomberg, and Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz have all floated the possibility of making an independent play for the Oval Office.

Out of the three, Mark Cuban arguably has the most star power.

Like Trump, he’s been a regular feature on a reality show – “Shark Tank” – where he and other investors assess the merits of business plans and sometimes buy into them.

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