Mark Cuban on Trump’s economic bullishness: ‘I wish he was right but he’s not.’

Billionaire Mark Cuban cast doubts on the rosy economic forecast President Donald Trump cast on Friday in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”

“I wish he was right, but he’s not,” Cuban told host Chris Wallace in response to a question about Trump’s projections for an economic recovery. “I think it’s going to be slower. I think there’s going to be so many different ways we’ll have to adapt to this new abnormal.”

The president on Friday offered perhaps his most optimistic take yet on U.S. efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus and keep the economy afloat amid record job losses.

“There's something good going to happen. I really believe that. There's something very good going to happen. We have to get back," Trump said at a Friday news conference.

Nearly 17 million Americans have filed claims for unemployment benefits over the past three weeks, already exceeding the total number of jobs lost over 18 months from the Great Recession of 2007-09.

“People aren’t going to just venture outside, they’re not going to go to large gatherings, they’re not going to feel confident right off the bat,” Cuban, an investor and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, said Sunday. “There’s going to be a lot of trepidation, and that concern is going to lead to people holding back and not spending money.”

The often provocative investor also opined on the $2 trillion stimulus package Congress passed last month, calling on the Trump administration to place strict “terms and conditions” for corporations to receive bailout funds. Singling out airlines, he called for the government to get equity as part of a bailout.

“Look, they’re coming for money for a reason and this is taxpayer money, so I’m not saying, ‘Don’t give them money,’ but there needs to be terms and conditions that really put the taxpayers first,” Cuban said. “If we’re going to give them a loan, that’s great, but let’s ask for equity.”

Cuban — a frequent subject of presidential speculation — did not rule out a run on Sunday when asked by Fox News’ Wallace.

“I’m not saying ‘no,’ but it’s not something that I’m actively considering,” Cuban said, adding: “I’ll just keep the door open.”