Mark Cuban: Trump's tweets are sideshow media should ignore
On a day when President Donald Trump tweeted a video of him body-slamming a man with the CNN logo superimposed on his head, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has one message for the news media: ignore the sideshow.
In an exclusive interview with FOX Business, Cuban claims media outlets are allowing Trump's tweets to distract them from reporting on the issues that are impacting working-class families.
"They need to start ignoring this sideshow and look for answers to more important questions," Cuban told FOX Business.
The questions that remain unanswered by the press, according to Cuban, are: "What has changed for you since the election? Have you gotten a raise? A better job? Has your cost for health care gone down?"
Indeed, Trump's tweets have dominated the news, particularly since his Thursday attack against MSNBC's anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, when he claimed she was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" while visiting Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate and club. The couple also alleged Trump was threatening them with a National Enquirer story about their relationship.
Statistics from the Media Research Center, a conservative research website, backed up Cuban's argument. According to their survey, the nightly news shows on ABC, NBC and CBS dedicated 28 times the coverage to the drama between Trump and the "Morning Joe" anchors than they did to the passing of "Kate's Law" in the House of Representatives.
The law, which passed with a vote of 257 to 157, would increase the penalties on deported, undocumented immigrants who attempt to reenter the United States illegally.
Additionally, Cuban told FOX Business he believes the overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. don’t care about the president’s rift with the media.
"Ninety-five percent of America cares as much about the battle between Trump and the media as they do cricket scores," the NBA owner said.
However, a recent Fox News poll suggests otherwise, with 71 percent of participants saying the president’s tweets are hurting his agenda. The poll was taken before Thursday's Twitter storm against Scarborough and Brzezinski, and Sunday's attack on CNN.
Still, Cuban, a critic of Trump who supported Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, doesn't think the media does enough to understand how the president is trying to "deflect" attention from his legislative agenda.
"The media needs to learn that Trump is like any CEO—he will deflect and misdirect. It's time to start talking to the people who go to work every day and find out what is going on in their lives," Cuban said.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer did not respond to requests for comment. CNN issued a statement condemning Trump's latest tweet.