Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban sharply criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday for proposing new tariffs on Chinese goods, contending that the American consumer, not China, would end up paying.  Cuban commented while campaigning with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in La Crosse, Wisconsin, before the election.

Known for his appearances on the reality show Shark Tank, Cuban lashed into Trump’s idea of presenting tariffs on as much as 60% of imports from China to revive American manufacturing.  The proposed idea is “insane,” he said and would hurt America’s businesses and consumers.  “This man knows so little about tariffs.  He thinks that China pays for that,” Cuban said.  “This is the same fellow who also thought that Mexico was going to pay for the wall,” he added, referring back to Trump’s earlier boasts about funding his would-be border wall.

The audience, emboldened by Cuban, agreed with his conclusion, responding with a loud “no” to his question about whether Mexico had actually paid for the wall.

Trump has vowed that his trade policies, including tariffs on imports from enemies like China and partners like the European Union, will spur a manufacturing renaissance in America.  He also says tariff income might offset part of the U.S. deficit.  “To me, the most beautiful word in the world is ‘tariff,'” Trump said during an interview at the Economic Club of Chicago earlier this week.

Cuban retorted that Trump’s trade policy, although coherent enough during the 1990s and early 2000s when Trump himself was an outsider in politics, “makes no sense” today and no longer reflects the real economy.  Instead, the tariffs created by Trump would harm small businesses because their cost of imported goods would rise.

“Donald Trump is the Grinch that wants to steal your Christmas,” Cuban quipped.  “The Grinch doesn’t understand how tariffs work, and the Grinch is the one that’s going to be putting these small businesses out of business.”

Cuban is a solid business and pop-culture brand that has appeal, especially among young men, a demographic that’s seen its support for Trump grow as the gender gap widens in the presidential campaign.  Yet Cuban hasn’t been nearly as political as some of his fellow billionaires.  According to records, his only political contribution was a $1,000 donation to California Democrat Zoe Lofgren in 2002.

Meanwhile, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, another billionaire political figure, was in Pennsylvania on the same day, stumping for the president for Trump voters before the Nov. 5 election.  Musk has given almost $75 million to pro-Trump groups and played a more direct role in funding the former president’s campaign efforts.

While Cuban’s slam of Trump’s tariff plans makes headlines, Trump’s campaign hasn’t responded yet.  So far, as Cuban and Musk are out campaigning, the roles the wealthy commercial business leaders play in that political discussion remain an ongoing focal point as the election draws near.

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