Earlier this week, America got a clear view of how little Donald Trump understands -- or cares about -- the mechanics and potentially devastating consequences of the economic agenda he's running on.
On Thursday, businessman Mark Cuban joined Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail in Wisconsin, and took the opportunity to mock Trump's widespread tariff proposals on all imported goods.
"I've learned a lot about business, including how tariffs work," the billionaire investor said to Democratic supporters at a rally for Harris in La Crosse, Wisconsin. "Now let me just ask you a question, do you all know anyone who doesn't know how tariffs work?" Cuban said, before referencing Trump: "All right I'll give you a hint -- that other guy."
"This man has so little understanding of tariffs, he thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall," Cuban quipped.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief John Micklethwait interviewed Trump at the Economic Club of Chicago. However, the former president became increasingly frustrated when pressed with questions about his policies should he serve another term in the White House. During the sit-down, Trump avoided giving straight answers while also insulting autoworkers, claiming the Jan. 6 riot was filled with "love and peace," and claiming his incoherent ramblings were a strategic "weave."
At Thursday's event, Cuban said that he believes Trump "used to understand how tariffs work" in the Nineties, adding, "But I don't know what happened to him."
If reelected in November, Trump has vowed to put a 10 percent tariff on all imports and raise the tariff rate on Chinese-made goods to 60 percent or more. The former president has also indicated that he may pressure the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. In June, 16 Nobel-prize winning economists released a grave warning in a joint letter, detailing a potential economic fallout should Trump implement his plan for the U.S. economy.
Throughout her campaign, Harris has laid out an "opportunity economy" and has proposed policies to improve the cost of housing, including the construction of 3 million affordable new homes and apartments, expanded protections against corporate landlords, and a $25,000 credit for first-time homebuyers. The vice president has also called to expand the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit for low-income workers.