The White House featured billionaire Mark Cuban at a healthcare event, but his involvement may hamper bipartisan cooperation due to his outspoken support for controversial diversity policies.
Cuban spoke at a roundtable on lowering prescription drug costs, a bipartisan issue.
However, Cuban has angered conservatives by defending race-based hiring and saying diversity is a competitive advantage.
“I only ever hire the person that will put my business in the best position to succeed,” Cuban said. “And yes, race and gender can be part of the equation. I view diversity as a competitive advantage.”
He was warned by an Equal Employment Opportunity commissioner that such policies could violate discrimination laws.
“If any employer, whether private or public, uses race or sex or any other protected characteristic, particularly race or sex, as any factor in their decision-making process for any employment decision then they’ve violated Title VII and an employee that’s been harmed can file a complaint with the EEOC and then if they get a right to sue letter, they can file in federal court,” commissioner Andrea Lucas said.
Cuban’s social media comments generated consternation among Republican staffers, who now view him as a creature of the left.
“I can’t stand Mark Cuban. I saw the White House is trotting him out … He’s the worst possible spokesperson for them,” one staffer said.
Some GOP staffers said they would oppose any White House initiative involving Cuban due to his activism on diversity issues.
Another staffer added, “I don’t know that much about PBMs but if Mark Cuban is against them, then I’m for them.”
“If they were having his last wake, and it was him versus Trump, and he was being given last rites, I would still vote for Joe Biden,” Cuban said.
His presence could turn what had been a bipartisan drug pricing effort into a more partisan fight.
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