Joy Behar, co-host of The View, dismissed billionaire investor Mark Cuban as 'naive' on Tuesday after he decided to support Donald Trump's drug coupon initiative, TrumpRx. 'First of all, you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas,' Behar said following a clip of Cuban and Trump touting their partnership.
'Mark Cuban. I've always liked him, but this is a mistake,' Behar further complained. She then listed several of Trump's failed ventures, including Trump Shuttle airline, Trump Vodka, Trump University, and Trump-branded casinos, as evidence that the initiative was ill-conceived. 'Once Trump puts his name on prescriptions, we're all gonna die,' she proclaimed.
Republican co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin quickly challenged Behar's logic. She pointed out that the 600 generic drugs added to the TrumpRx website were already available in the marketplace and would now be sold at their lowest possible cost. 'The medication that I had to take for IVF is a 10th of the price on TrumpRx,' Griffin, a new mother, explained. 'I don't, whatever- it's tacky that his name is on it.' She added, 'You're not going to convince me that just because Trump's involved, we should be like, "Screw it."'
Griffin also highlighted Cuban's previous efforts to lower drug costs, including his Cost Plus Drugs initiative. 'He's involved with it,' Behar shot back as the discussion grew more heated. 'If he's going to take a profit out of it, don't take it.'
Sunny Hostin, another progressive co-host, agreed with Behar. She flagged language used by Trump during the Monday appearance with Cuban at the White House. 'If you heard what he said, he said, "We both want to make people wealthy." He didn't say healthy. This is not a well-intentioned person.'
Co-hosts Sara Haines and Griffin remained unconvinced. Haines insisted that discounted drugs only help American people and told Behar, 'We're the wealthiest country, and we pay the most for drugs. The people that are literally suffering illnesses and cannot pay for their medicine - I can't think of a sicker business.' She maintained that the branding behind the project was unimportant.
Behar ended the exchange with a parting barb. 'You are so naive, the two of you,' she told Haines and Griffin. Hostin repeated the sentiment in a more humorous tone to alleviate tension.
Whoopi Goldberg ultimately weighed in, saying, 'I think what people are responding to is the fact that his name is, really.' Hostin added, 'And his affiliation with it.' Griffin responded, 'It's a marketplace. You'll get the discount and get your drugs cheaper.'
Trump announced the addition of the drugs on Monday, with Cuban endorsing the website. The TrumpRx initiative launched in February with just 43 branded prescriptions. The discounts are possible because the over 600 additions are all 'affordable generics' that serve as alternatives to costly name brands. Trump told the audience, 'I'm thrilled to announce that we're increasing the number of drugs available on TrumpRx by nearly seven times.'
Cuban, motioning to Trump, said, 'I think other than you, I've been the biggest proponent of TrumpRx.com, and the reason for that is Republicans want cheaper drugs, independents want cheaper drugs, Democrats want cheaper drugs. And together I think we're going to do something special.'
The partnership comes nearly two years after Cuban traded barbs with Trump during the 2024 election. When asked about Cuban's endorsement of Kamala Harris, Trump said, laughing, 'Well, he made a mistake, it was a big mistake.'
