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3471In a post that touched on spending cuts, small-town economic fallout, and the inflationary impact of tariffs, Mark Cuban zeroed in on what he sees as the administration’s reckless execution.
Then came the punch: “Add to this all these tariffs, simultaneously, and someone is going to get fired. Probably Lutnick,” Cuban wrote, referring to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The comment was part of a broader critique Cuban posted on X about how spending cuts and tariffs are being rolled out under President Donald Trump’s administration.
In a post that quickly went viral, Cuban said he actually supports the idea of slowing down the economy by reducing government spending.
“DOGE had the right idea,” he wrote, referring to Republicans in Congress.
“Reduce spending enough to slow down the economy. A slower economy means interest rates come down and if things slow enough, the Fed reduces rates to juice the economy and debt repayment gets far cheaper and the debt comes down with any growth.”
“They Tried To Do It All At Once”
But Cuban argues that Republicans botched the execution. “Where DOGE screwed up is that they tried to do it all at once under the excuse the Dems would kill it,” he said.
“Cutting spending and firing hundreds of thousands all at once has a disproportionate impact on small cities and states. That makes it far, far harder for interest rates to enable growth.”
He says the GOP should have phased in the cuts to give the country time to adapt.
“If they had planned it out, gave the country a chance to plan and get ready for the cuts, then it truly could have worked. And worked well enough they could have cut more than they did.”
According to Cuban, that would have made it easier for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, reducing the cost of the national debt.
“With the lower rates, the deficit could have been reduced with lower debt interest costs.”
Red States Could Feel It the Most
This isn’t the first time Cuban has sounded the alarm. In a separate post on Bluesky, he warned of a coming “Red Rural Recession,” saying small towns are at serious risk.
“I think there is going to be a Red Rural Recession and soon if all the cuts continue as is,” Cuban wrote.
“All the firings, cancelling of grants and contracts with companies, the closing of offices, disproportionately impact small towns, cities and states. Their finances will be turned upside.”
Many of these areas heavily rely on federal funding. For example, Kentucky gets over 30% of its budget from Washington, Indiana 25.7%, and Ohio 21%, compared to just 14.5% for California.
That money often goes toward Medicaid, education, infrastructure and public services.
Now, with federal grants being canceled and jobs cut, Cuban says rural economies that helped reelect Trump could get hit the hardest.
Tariffs Could Make It Worse
Cuban didn’t hold back on tariffs either, calling them inflationary. He suggested that unless Trump steps in and replaces the current tariffs with a more moderate across-the-board 10% rate, the economic impact could be significant.
“That at least is less inflationary,” Cuban said.
Less inflation would give the Fed more room to cut interest rates, Cuban argued. But with the current setup, that’s unlikely.
“As long as those tariffs are in place and active, it’s going to be hard for inflation to come down and for employment to stay up,” he said. “That’s the Fed mandate. Employment and inflation.”
Cuban’s final message was blunt: “Ready, fire, aim is no way to govern. If there’s a plan, show it to us.”
Cuban Was Answering a Direct Challenge
Cuban’s detailed thread wasn’t random—it was a direct reply to a user who asked, “Mark we are $36 trillion in debt, at least he is trying something. How would you pay the debt down?”
Instead of dodging the question, Cuban laid out his case for a slower, phased approach to economic reform.
In a follow-up exchange with another user who quoted Elon Musk saying companies should cut deeply and then add 10% of workers back later if needed, Cuban made clear that kind of thinking doesn’t apply to the federal government.
“For a company it can. For a country. Never,” he replied.
“You know your own company. As the CEO you know the path forward … Tell me which employees at the Federal Treasury Office in Parkersburg, West Virginia he knows … I’ll wait.”
Cuban also pushed back against critics calling his argument a conspiracy theory: “Yes. A slowing economy and the Fed can lower rates. If the decline is enough … then the amount that rolls over every year can be refinanced, lowering how much we pay in interest.”
Even Trump supporters voiced agreement. One user wrote, “I voted for Trump 3 times. I don’t regret it but he needs to figure it out fast.” Cuban responded, “This is fair.”
To those defending the rush approach, Cuban had a sharp retort: “Can’t be any less effective than it is now. In fact it is counterproductive.”
Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers are starting to push back too. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said institutions in her state are “concerned” about steep NIH grant cuts. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) warned that dismantling USAID could hurt Kansas farmers.
Even Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) called NIH cuts “devastating” for local universities.
With Trump also pushing for a 25% tariff on potash from Canada—a key fertilizer—farmers in red states like Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky fear prices could spike.
As Cuban’s post made waves, one commenter summed up the mood: “They voted for this to happen to them. They didn’t realize it would.”
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