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Mark Cuban says he was approached about mounting a third-party campaign for the White House but dismissed the proposal out of hand.
“It’s too late,” Cuban said in an interview with Michael Wolf’s Next/Market podcast. "And I’m not ready to go through that grind.”
But the boisterous billionaire reality-TV star left open the possibility of serving as a vice presidential running mate for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. He said he would bring a non-partisan perspective to the White House.
"The goal isn't to say, ‘Hey, I’m a Republican’ or ‘I’m a Democrat,’” Cuban said. ”The goal is, how are we going to help this country? Maybe it’s time to have an independent vice president who can cross the aisle, communicate and not be driven by dogma.”
Cuban said he could play the role of political peacemaker on Capitol Hill (a persona not in evidence in his role as an NBA owner on the sidelines of Dallas Mavericks games, where he has been fined $2 million for his outbursts). He says the voter anger that has so far defined the 2016 race is an expression of frustration with Washington, D.C.
"People don't believe their politicians can get anything done,” Cuban said. "It’s not like the politicians are all stupid. It’s just that in order to stay within your party ... there are certain things you have to do.”
Cuban said that, although he hates politics, he would consider his own White House bid, under the right (disastrous) circumstances.
“I truly believe that I can add more value to this country by not being the president and supporting entrepreneurs, investing in entrepreneurs, and helping the economy grow and creating jobs,” Cuban said, adding, "If it's a mess, that’s a different set of circumstances and I’d have to consider it.”
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
