Why Mark Cuban Declined Kamala Harris’ VP Offer Ahead of 2024 Election

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Don’t expect Mark Cuban to enter the political arena.

As a lifestyle expert looking back on fascinating political tidbits, let me share an intriguing piece of news: The esteemed Shark Tank alum found himself under serious consideration as a running mate for the illustrious former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential race. However, I must clarify that he gracefully turned down the enticing opportunity to partner with the Democratic ticket for a straightforward reason.

He shared during the June 20th episode of the Bulwark podcast, “I don’t excel in the role of second-in-command,” he admitted. “The last thing I want is to be telling Kamala or the President, ‘No, that’s a foolish idea.’

Indeed, I made the strategic choice of partnering with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as my vice presidential candidate. Together, we presented a strong team, but unfortunately, our journey came to an end in November when Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance secured their re-election. Reflecting upon this experience, I believe that, had I been elected, I would have certainly brought a fresh, unique perspective to the race. However, I can’t help but wonder if success would have followed suit.

He went on to say, ‘As I’m not a politician, things might have turned out differently, but they would have been disastrous.’ He added, ‘I believe she would have let me go in just six days.’

For some time now, whispers about Cuban potentially seeking the White House position have been around, but more recently, he has denied any plans to run for president in the year 2028.

At a gathering in Washington, D.C., in February, as reported by Politico, he firmly stated, “Absolutely not,” indicating that the event in question was unlikely to transpire.

Despite not expressing any desire for political office, Cuban – who is married to Tiffany Stewart and has children named Alexis (age 22), Alyssa (19), and Jake (15) – will have ample opportunity to embark on new ventures following his departure from the Shark Tank panel in May. However, before diving into new projects, Cuban emphasized his excitement for spending some quality time with his family.

He shared with People magazine in October that we typically film in June and September, and specifically in June, when they’ve just finished their school year, he has to be here. When they were younger, it was like ‘We’ll wait for Dad,’ but now that they’re teenagers, they don’t wait for him at all. By September, they’re already back at school. He wants to be there for those important moments.

For a closer look at the current presidential cabinet, keep reading.

As a native of Ohio, I, JD Vance, found success in the world of venture capitalism prior to crafting my acclaimed 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” Subsequently, I made a transition into the political sphere.

2022 saw me, a Yale-educated lawyer and ex-Marine, triumphantly elected to the U.S. Senate. Fast forward to just under two years later, I find myself humbled by the extraordinary honor of being chosen as Donald Trump’s 2024 vice presidential running mate! What an exhilarating journey it’s been so far!

In his role as vice president, Vance stands ready to step into the presidency if needed. Additionally, he has the power to break ties among Senate Republicans when it comes to passing legislation, acting as a decisive vote in close calls.

He has been married to law school sweetheart Usha Vance since 2014 and they share three children.

Initially, Senator Marco Rubio from Florida was a strong critic of Donald Trump during their presidential race in 2016. However, he later switched sides and now supports the policies that were once opposed by his former rival.

Born in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents, this individual was the unique and sole nominee for Trump’s second cabinet who received unanimous bipartisan approval from the Senate, with a vote of 99-0. Notably, Senator Rubio, who was still serving at that time, cast his own vote in the affirmative. Now, it is Senator Vance who occupies the one vacant seat in Ohio.

Rubio, as depicted alongside Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, has been in marriage with Jeanette Dousdebes, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, since the year 1998. Together, they are blessed with two girls and two boys.

For over four decades, I’ve been immersed in global investment management, having served as the CEO of key hedge fund Key Square Capital Management and the Chief Investment Officer at Soros Fund Management – a renowned organization associated with prominent Democratic donor George Soros.

Apart from that, he imparted knowledge about economic history at his former university, Yale, and collaborated with his family to found the McLeod Rehabilitation Center within the Shriners Children’s Hospital, which is located in his native South Carolina.

He resides alternately in Washington D.C. and Charleston, SC, as stated in his official biography, accompanied by his spouse and their two children.

In a specific location and income bracket, being gay was not a problem, he shared with the Yale Alumni Magazine in 2015, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that made same-sex marriage legal across the country. What’s remarkable is that, today, individuals in various parts of America – whether they are blue collar or white collar workers – have equal access to everything. If someone had told me back in 1984, during our graduation and when many were dying from AIDS, that 30 years later I would be legally married with two children born through surrogacy, I wouldn’t have imagined it possible.

Pete Hegseth, a former Army National Guard veteran, had been co-hosting the weekend edition of Fox News’ show, “Fox & Friends Weekend”, since 2017. However, when Trump nominated him for the position of Defense Secretary, that changed.

Previous contentious comments on diversity and military servicewomen, a 2017 sexual assault accusation (which Hegseth has strongly refuted), allegations of job-related drinking (also disputed) and a 2018 email from his mother (later retracted) criticizing him as a “woman abuser” posed risks to his confirmation. However, he was narrowly approved by the Senate with no Democratic support and three Republicans voting against him.

Hegseth is currently married to Jennifer Rauchet Hegseth, his third wife, with whom he has one child. Previously, he was married to Samatha Deering and together they share three children. The couple tied the knot at Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck, N.J., in 2019.

After Matt Gaetz, who was embroiled in scandals and had been initially chosen, withdrew himself from contention, the incoming president chose Pam Bondi, a former Florida Attorney General who had served on his defense team during his first impeachment trial, to head the U.S. Department of Justice instead.

For eighteen years, she served as a prosecutor at the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. In 2011, she made history by becoming Florida’s first female attorney general. Near the end of her term, she temporarily co-hosted Fox News’ “The Five” for three days in 2018, which led to discussions about the ethical implications of doing so while still holding an elected position.

The representative shared with the Tampa Bay Times that she frequently appears on national broadcasts. They pointed out that she doesn’t receive payment for her hosting duties. They added that the attorney general is consistently busy, always reachable day or night, and continues to work even when away from the state.

Since the year 2017, Bondi has been in a romantic relationship with John Wakefield, who is the founding principal of Varner Wakefield Equity Partners. He has three kids from a past relationship.

2024 potential presidential contender and former supporter of Donald Trump, wealthy software entrepreneur and investor Doug Burgum, served as North Dakota’s governor from 2017. Later, he was appointed to lead the Department of Interior, overseeing nearly 480 million acres of federal land, with a focus on striking a balance between resource development and conservation.

Raised in the small town of Arthur, N.D., with just 325 residents, Burgum later studied at North Dakota State University and launched a chimney-sweeping company, which he believes played a significant role in his acceptance to Stanford Business School.

In 2017, I shared with Forbes that an article about me, featuring my role as a chimney sweep and showcasing a picture of me perched on an icy chimney during below-zero temperatures in Fargo, was published in our college newspaper. This story spread to the Associated Press wire service, causing quite a buzz in the Stanford admissions office.

Burgum is a father of three kids, whom he had with his former spouse, Karen Stoker. He tied the knot with Kathryn Helgaas in the year 2016.

This version aims to make the sentence more conversational and easier to understand by using “tied the knot” instead of “has been married since”, and replacing “ex-wife” with “former spouse”.

Originally hailing from Glen Rose, Texas, Brooke Rollins holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M and obtained her Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Texas School of Law.

In the White House during Trump’s initial term, her role included serving as the Director of the Domestic Policy Council and the President’s Assistant for Strategic Projects.

Prior to her appointment as head of the Department of Agriculture, Rollins served as both CEO and president of the America First Policy Institute, an organization she established in 2021 with the mission of advancing President Trump’s political platform.

As per her official biography, during their leisure moments, she and her husband Mark Rollins often find themselves ferrying their energetic quartet of kids to baseball matches, livestock exhibitions, piano classes, and Texas A&M football games in Fort Worth.

Prior to becoming part of Trump’s administration, Howard Lutnick held the positions of CEO and president at the financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald. He ascended through the company’s hierarchy following his initial employment as a junior broker in 1983.

A well-known corporation based in New York City tragically suffered the loss of 658 employees on September 11, 2001, when one of the four hijacked airplanes struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center during a terrorist attack.

For 35 consecutive days, Lutnick attended 20 funeral services each day, due to the tragic loss of his brother Gary among many others in 2006. On certain days, he was unable to attend funerals of dear friends because other loved ones were being mourned at the same time. For instance, on one particular day, his wife attended the funeral of his best friend’s brother, while Lutnick went to the service for his college roommate’s sibling, both events taking place concurrently.

Inquired about his progress, he responded by likening it to riding a surfboard on a massive wave. He warned that if one were to glance back, the wave could easily overtake them, potentially causing him to malfunction.

Lutnick has four children with wife Allison Lambert.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer held the position of Mayor in Happy Valley, Oregon, from 2011 until 2019. In 2022, she made history as the first Republican woman to be elected to Congress from her state.

Despite not winning another term, the Californian born and pro-labor daughter of a Mexican-American Teamster father now has an opportunity to serve in President Trump’s second term cabinet.

Chavez-DeRemer is the mother of twin daughters with her longtime partner Dr. Shawn DeRemer, whom she married 33 years ago in 2024. On their anniversary, she shared on Instagram, “Our years seem to pass quickly due to our unwavering commitment to a love that’s truly extraordinary and always worth standing up for.

In less than two weeks following her confirmation as Labor Secretary on March 11, 2025, the DeRemers welcomed grandchildren into their family.

After his own presidential bid for the year 2024 didn’t succeed, longtime Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decided to back Donald Trump instead.

Among the eleven children of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, it is their third child who is best recognized lately for raising doubts about the safety of immunizations and certain psychiatric medications. This has led to some tension within his own family. He currently leads the movement known as “MAHA” (make America healthy again).

In contrast, Kerry Kennedy, his sister, criticized what she saw as an incomprehensible attempt to dishonor their father’s legacy by endorsing Trump. On the other hand, Caroline Kennedy, his cousin, labeled him a “predator” in a January 2025 open letter, urging the Senate not to confirm him as the HHS secretary.

On a personal note, Kennedy is the father of six children: Two from his first marriage with Emily Black, and four kids from his second marriage with Mary Richardson, who tragically took her own life in 2012. Since 2014, he has been wedded to Cheryl Hines, a renowned actress from Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Previously, Scott Turner, a former NFL player, served as a congressman for Texas’ 33rd district from 2013 to 2017. In 2019, Trump chose him to lead the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

In a 2016 NFL Player Engagement interview, he stated that his parents and godparents had consistently taught him the importance of serving others. They ingrained in him the values of caring for others, working diligently, and maintaining strong faith…It’s not simple, but one must decide to act this way.

Apart from being an entrepreneur and a Baptist pastor, he has been married to his University of Illinois alum wife, Robin Turner, since 1995. In the year 2009, the couple adopted Scott’s nephew, Solomon, who previously played football at Baylor and Hawaii before joining Illinois as a walk-on player.

In 2022, Solomon shared with Saturday Tradition that without his uncle and aunt, he isn’t sure where he would find himself. He explained that their influence in his life feels incredibly meaningful, not just because they acted as father figures for him, but also because by attending the institution, he feels like he is repaying them in a way, offering thanks for all they’ve done.

Sean Duffy first made a name for himself in 1997 as a housemate on The Real World: Boston.

He has nine children with Rachel Campos-Duffy, whom he encountered during Road Rules: All Stars in 1998 and wed the year after that meeting.

For eight years, Duffy held the position of Ashland County District Attorney in his native state of Wisconsin. From 2011 to 2019, he then served as a member of Congress. In August of that year, he stepped down from his role due to health concerns regarding his unborn ninth child.

He clarified on Fox & Friends that shortly after birth, between two to six months of life, she will require an open-heart operation. In simpler terms, they’ll need to perform a surgical procedure where they open her up to repair her heart.

Duffy stated, “I have a deep affection for politics, yet my family is my greatest treasure. It’s all about finding the right balance. My schedule is demanding; I spend four days each week in Washington D.C., and then I return home to Rachel.” While traveling throughout his district and interacting with constituents, he commented, “As members of Congress, we often endure a fair amount of criticism. We’re frequently targeted as a convenient target for ridicule.

In an interview with NCTA in May 2019, he shared that his time on “The Real World” required him to reside with individuals unlike himself. Initially, the contrast between him and his roommates was striking. However, upon departing, he discovered that he had far more commonalities with them than he initially thought.

He likened the situation to negotiating across party lines in Congress: “You wouldn’t believe the collaborative projects you can accomplish, or the surprising number of shared viewpoints you might discover.

Chris Wright, affectionately known as an “energy enthusiast,” serves as the founder of Pinnacle Technologies. As per his Energy Department biography, this company is credited with establishing the sector that specializes in mapping hydraulic fracturing, more commonly referred to as fracking.

Prior to being nominated for his cabinet position, he held the role of CEO at Liberty Energy, which is the U.S.’s second-biggest hydraulic fracturing corporation.

Wright, who is deeply fond of being a father, grandfather, skiing, cycling, rock climbing, and enjoying the outdoors, as stated in his biography, lived with his wife Liz in Colorado prior to their move to Washington D.C.

Linda McMahon, formerly known as Edwards, tied the knot with her 21-year-old husband Vince McMahon in 1966, following her high school graduation. Despite initially pursuing a career as a French teacher, she eventually found herself co-managing the family enterprise, World Wrestling Entertainment, from 1980 until 2009.

During Donald Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019, Linda McMahon held the role as Administrator for the Small Business Administration. In the 2024 election, when he was re-elected, McMahon, a grandmother of six, took part in leading his transition team and was appointed to oversee the U.S. Department of Education – an institution that Trump intends to dissolve.

McMahon expressed strong support for the president’s initiative aimed at devolving education back to the individual states. He shares the president’s viewpoint that the most effective education happens when it’s tailored closest to each child’s needs.

In November 2024, McMahon’s legal representative acknowledged that the ex-WWE executive and her spouse had already separated, despite remaining legally married, as reported by the Washington Post. Notably, their offspring Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon are both former wrestlers, while Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who is Stephanie’s husband, holds the position of WWE’s chief content officer.

Colonel Doug Collins, a legal professional, previously served as a representative in the Georgia State House, a member of Congress, and a military chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

However, as per his Veterans Affairs (VA) profile, he primarily identifies himself as a husband to Lisa, father to Jordan, and father to both Copelan and Cameron.

 

Since 2019, Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota has been speculated as a potential running mate for Trump in 2024. However, this possibility was put to rest when she recounted in her memoir “No Going Back” the incident of shooting her family’s troublesome dog.

Undeterred by debate, Trump chose Noem – a former Congresswoman who represented her district from 2011 to 2019 on the House Armed Services Committee – to lead the Department of Homeland Security. This department is tasked with safeguarding the United States from both domestic and foreign hazards.

In 1992, the former South Dakota Snow Queen exchanged wedding vows with Byron Noem, and together they are parents to three lovely offspring.

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2025-06-21 23:48