Screenshot/Fox News
Mark Cuban.
- Mark Cuban said if he runs for president in 2020 it will probably be as a Republican.
- On a scale of one to 10, Cuban said the likelihood of his run is a "four."
- If his wife supports him running for president, however, Cuban said that number improves to a "five."
Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban revealed in a Fox News interview that if he were to run for president in 2020, it would "probably" be as a Republican.
Speaking to TMZ founder Harvey Levin on his show "Objectified," Cuban was pressed on whether he will make a bid for the presidency, a subject he has teased to reporters for months.
"Considering? Yes," the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank" told Levin. "Made a decision? Far from."
When asked if he'd run as a Democrat, Republican, or independent candidate, Cuban said, "probably Republican."
"Because I think there is a place for someone who is socially a centrist but ... very fiscally conservative," Cuban said. "But I think there are better ways now to make the government smaller than the traditional Republican ways."
He added that his family is split on the idea of him running for president.
"My kids love it, my wife hates it," he said. "So that's an influencing factor. My family is everything to me."
The current political environment calls for someone "who can connect to people and relate to people at a base level and appreciate what they're going through," Cuban said, adding that he thinks he qualifies "on each of those."
"Now, whether or not I'll do it, it's a big decision," he said.
Levin asked Cuban on a scale of one to 10 how likely it is that the billionaire runs for president.
Cuban said it's a "four."
"If your wife says yes?" Levin asked.
"Five," Cuban responded.
Cuban's interview with Levin was just the latest moment where the businessman teased his possible 2020 bid.
During a recent appearance at an Atlanta conference, Cuban said if he "was single" he'd "definitely be running." In an interview with former Democratic South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers on Sellers' podcast ViewPoint, Cuban said he was "seriously considering" a run for the White House. And later that same day, in an interview with CNBC, Cuban said he is "actively considering" a presidential bid, though he added there's a 90% chance he will not run.
Cuban is often sharply critical of President Donald Trump, and the billionaire mogul supported Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 general election. However, he expressed openness to Trump's candidacy during the Republican primary.
Recently, Cuban criticized Trump's controversial comments aimed at NFL and NBA players, offered up his thoughts on the Republican tax reform proposal, and has assisted in Puerto Rico hurricane recovery efforts.
An August poll showed Cuban leading Trump in a prospective 2020 race. The poll, from the left-leaning polling firm Public Policy Polling, showed Cuban, running as the Democratic presidential nominee, with a small edge over Trump.
"These are always entertaining," Cuban told Business Insider in an email at the time. "As I have said before, I would only run if I can come up with solutions for healthcare, the plight of working families, and reducing the stress levels of our country. It's possible. When I have something to offer, I will."