Republican women are hitting back at billionaire investor Mark Cuban for saying that President Trump “never” takes advice or counsel from women, despite the fact that both Trump’s 2016 and 2024 campaign managers are women, and that the former president has a number of high-level advisors and lawyers who are women. 

“Donald Trump — you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever,” Mr. Cuban said during an appearance on “The View.”

Republicans were quick to react. Trump’s co-campaign manager, Susie Wiles — who has posted on X just twice in as many years — highlighted some of the women around Trump in a post shortly after Mr. Cuban’s remarks were made. 

“I’m told @mcuban needs help identifying the strong and intelligent women surrounding Pres. Trump. Well, here we are! I’ve been proud to lead this campaign. Complimented by @Linda_McMahon, Chair for Transition Policy and @LaraLeaTrump, RNC Co-Chair,” Ms. Wiles wrote, including a photo of herself and Trump. 

Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, quickly called into Fox News to call out Mr. Cuban for his assessment of Trump. 

“It just shows how desperate and concerned they are — that they are not certain that they are supporting a strong and intelligent woman for president,” Mrs. Conway said. “Show me any of Mark Cuban’s entrepreneurial pursuits where some of the top positions are being held by working moms. … You’re not going to find that. It really doesn’t matter to me what desperate people say. What I care about is defending the tens of millions of strong, intelligent women who are going to vote for Donald Trump.”

Trump’s final White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, called the remarks “so profoundly offensive.”

“I worked for Donald Trump. I consider myself a strong woman. I consider those around me strong women — Kellyanne Conway, Brooke Rollins, Ivanka Trump, Hope Hicks, Sarah Sanders,” Ms. McEnany said, referring to senior staffers in Trump’s White House. She also listed Governor Haley who served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump nominated to the high court. 

Lawmakers, too, weighed in on the controversy. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, the fourth highest-ranking House Republican, called Mr. Cuban a “sexist disgrace.”

“I’m proud to be the highest-ranking woman in the United States Congress. When I ran, I was the youngest woman ever elected … and I am proudly voting for — and endorsing — President Trump,” Ms. Stefanik says. 

“Strong, intelligent & independent women don’t need Mark Cuban or anyone else in Kamala’s Camp to tell them how to think. Once again, the left insults anyone who disagrees with them because they are so ‘inclusive,’” wrote a Staten Island Republican, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis. 

One Trump fan, Caitlyn Jenner, jokingly claimed Mr. Cuban was transgender and said that he was being a “misogynist” for his remarks. “Just because Kamala Harris surrogate Mark Cuban is slowly but surely transitioning, it still doesn’t give him the right to be a misogynist!” Ms. Jenner wrote. 

The Trump campaign itself weighed in on Mr. Cuban’s remarks, calling him “disrespectful.”

“This is extremely insulting to the thousands of women who work for President Trump, and the tens of millions of women who are voting for him. These women are mothers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders and they are, indeed, strong AND intelligent, despite what Mark Cuban and Kamala Harris say,” the campaign said in a statement.

Notably, the press statement was released by one of Trump’s top advisors, press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Statements from Trump are often released by his communications director Steven Cheung.