Steve Forbes backs Trump’s Mt. Rushmore warning on communism: ‘He’s right’
Steve Forbes has been a bold advocate for the American capitalist system, free markets and sound money for decades. As the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes, and a presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000, he has been one of the nation’s leading voices on economics. Recently, Forbes sat down with Fox News Digital at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas to discuss the state of the American economy, New York City’s socialist turn, and the policies of the Trump administration. STEVE FORBES: CHUCK SCHUMER HAS A BEEF WITH BEEF, BUT DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO GRILL IT “First of all, New York City has had a reputation in the past of electing radical candidates, including the allegedly only communist member of Congress back in the late 1940s. So there is that streak there. But more importantly, I think it shows that people, a lot of people, are dissatisfied. The 78-year-old scion of a publishing empire said the left is better organized than it’s freedom-loving counterparts. “We’ve got to get the message out,” he said. “And one thing that the left has learned is that you try to occupy the high moral ground. Even if you wreck people’s lives, kill millions of people under socialism, communism, your intentions were good. “So they try to play the moral card. And so it’s not enough to say, ‘Well, free enterprise gives you more prosperity.’ You also have to put on the plane that free enterprise is moral. It’s based on liberty, based on allowing human beings to be creative, or as Lincoln put it, improve your lot in life.” Following Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech and its depiction of the internal threat of communism, Forbes agrees, citing another U.S. president. “Whatever you call it, communism, socialism, extreme leftism, anti-Semitism, it’s all the same disease,” Forbes said. “Abraham Lincoln put it very well in the 1800s. He said, ‘It won’t be foreign forces that destroy the United States. It’ll be things we do internally.’” Forbes suggested that many incorrectly blame problems on free markets, when they should instead be blaming government policies: “What happens is when governments start making mistakes and doing things that people don’t like and that hurt people’s prospects for getting ahead, upsetting society, they blame it on capitalism. They blame it on free markets,” he said. “So they help wreck free markets and then say, ‘The victim is the cause of it.’” Prosperity and innovation can only flourish with freedom, Forbes said. While capitalism isn’t perfect, it has led to inventions that improve our lives, according to Forbes. STEVE FORBES: MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST RENT CONTROL PUTS NEW YORK ON THE ROAD TO HOUSING RUIN “Take your handheld,” he said. “If you’d said 30 years ago [that your] grandma could operate a supercomputer, you’d have gotten a rather strange look. Now we take it for granted. The first one was just 40 years ago, cost $3,995, weighed like a brick, the size of a shoebox. And today we have handhelds that are really supercomputers that can do anything anywhere. And in real terms, they get cheaper and cheaper. So that’s the miracle of human creativity. And then the amazing thing is we take it for granted.” Forbes has long been an advocate for sound money, and a prominent critic of the Federal Reserve: “Start with the Federal Reserve, the idea that prosperity causes inflation. Experience shows time and time again, it’s absolute nonsense. So if the economy starts to do well, you hear mutterings from the central bank asking, ‘Is the economy overheating?’ as if the economy is a machine,” Forbes said. “So ask yourself, if your income is improving, do you start to feel overheating? Do you start to sweat at night? You know, ‘Take it away because I’m overheating?’ No, it’s preposterous,” he said. The central bank’s role is to preserve the integrity of the dollar, not to manage economic activity by trying to manipulate interest rates, according to Forbes. “And yet most free marketeers, for example, realize rent control distorts markets and ends up costing more and giving people less,” Forbes noted. “Well, what is controlling interest rates? It’s a form of rent control. They used to call interest rent. You’d rent the money.” His prescription for the Trump administration is simple: “On the domestic front, go for a new round of tax cuts. Reduce tax rates for individuals and for businesses,” Forbes said. “Taxes are a price. So, propose it. Congress may not pass it, but you’ve got an issue you can take to the voters. Selling such a plan to the public could be done with some savvy marketing, Forbes added. “Bring out examples of people who have benefited enormously from not taxing overtime, not taxing tips, and saying, remember those old late night TV commercials [where hawkers would say] ‘But wait, there’s more?’ They can say, ‘But wait, there’s more. We’re going to have big tax cuts. Everyone’s going to benefit.’ “And continue with the deregulation,” he concluded. “You go on that path, and good things will happen.”
Trump’s ambitious energy bet could be a winning hand as the world burns more oil, gas than ever
The world consumed more energy than ever before in 2025, with fossil fuels still supplying the vast majority of global energy despite record growth in renewable power, according to a new report. The findings come as President Donald Trump pushes to expand U.S. oil and gas production, arguing domestic energy is key to lowering prices, strengthening national security and boosting economic growth. The Energy Institute’s 2026 Statistical Review of World Energy found oil, natural gas and coal accounted for 86% of global energy use last year, underscoring that despite years of investment in wind and solar power, the world continues to rely overwhelmingly on fossil fuels to power homes, businesses, transportation and industry. Overall, the world consumed more energy than at any point on record. GAS SURGE TIED TO IRAN CONFLICT HITS SWING STATES, TESTING TRUMP’S LOW-PRICE PITCH The findings align with the Trump administration’s argument that expanding domestic oil and gas production is critical to lowering energy costs, strengthening U.S. energy security and fueling economic growth ahead of next year’s midterm elections, where both parties are expected to make the economy and inflation central campaign issues — but for very different reasons. America’s dominant position in global energy markets was on full display in the report — and Trump is taking a victory lap. “Even left-wing studies are finding that President Trump’s energy dominance agenda has been undeniably successful in unleashing reliable, affordable, and secure energy,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. “Thanks to the President, U.S. oil, natural gas, and coal production has increased – which benefits American families and businesses by lowering prices, creating jobs, and strengthening our energy security,” she added. “America has abundant resources—President Trump is unleashing them.” WHY THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MATTERS AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH ULTIMATUM TO IRAN U.S. oil production reached a record 21.1 million barrels a day in 2025, nearly matching the combined output of Saudi Arabia and Russia. The U.S. also remained the world’s largest natural gas producer and the world’s leading exporter of petroleum products. The report also comes as the conflict with Iran has renewed concerns about energy security and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Although its data predate the conflict, the report underscores how geopolitical tensions can threaten global energy supplies. Few places are more important to global energy markets than the Strait of Hormuz. About 20 million barrels of oil and one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas pass through the waterway each day, along with shipments of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Economist Steve Moore said the latest conflict illustrates why the U.S. should continue expanding domestic energy production. “Every time we’ve had flare-ups in the Middle East, this has caused a lot of disruption to the energy markets,” he told Fox News Digital. Moore said the conflict has once again exposed the world’s dependence on oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, putting upward pressure on energy prices. BBQ LOVERS BEWARE: MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT MIGHT DISRUPT YOUR SUMMER PLANS THIS YEAR Heritage Foundation chief economist EJ Antoni said the conflict underscores the need for the U.S. to move beyond energy independence and embrace what Trump has called “energy dominance.” “The Iran war has shown us it’s not simply enough for America to be pumping at current levels. America needs to be not just energy independent, but energy dominant,” Antoni told Fox News Digital. He said the U.S. should continue expanding domestic energy production and refining capacity to strengthen its energy security. The White House has argued that increasing domestic oil and natural gas production will help shield Americans from geopolitical shocks while lowering energy costs, a key pillar of Trump’s broader economic agenda. Read the full report here:
Sen. Lindsey Graham dead at 71 after ‘brief and sudden’ illness, office says
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died Saturday evening following a “brief and sudden” illness, according to a statement from his office. He was 71. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” his office said. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” it continued. DEM GOVERNOR ESCALATES MCCONNELL HEALTH DEMANDS, CITES RESPONSE TO PAST TRUMP HEALTH CONCERNS President Donald Trump reacted to Graham’s death, calling the longtime South Carolina senator a “true American Patriot.” “Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster released a statement early Sunday morning expressing that he is “devastated” by the news of Graham’s passing. “Peggy and I – and our children – are devastated,” he said in a statement. “Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable. The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America – and a loyal and steadfast friend. We grieve with Darline, his family and his developed staff. May God hold him gently in the palm of his hand. We shall not see his likes again.” Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and won re-election three times. He was seeking a fifth Senate term after winning the Republican primary last month. Graham served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and sat on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment and Public Works committees. Before joining the Senate, Graham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, becoming the first Republican to represent South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District since 1877. MCCONNELL’S WIFE, ELAINE CHAO, SAW NO NEED FOR ‘IMMEDIATE RETURN’ FROM CHINA AS FORMER GOP LEADER HOSPITALIZED Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Graham was a steadfast advocate for the United States and its allies, adding that his influence on the federal judiciary, national defense and his home state of South Carolina “will be felt for generations.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had “lost one of its greatest friends” with Graham’s death, calling the senator “a great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine.” “Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable,” Netanyahu said. “Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.” HOUSE DEMOCRAT RO KHANNA SAYS HE WAS DETAINED BY ARMED ISRAELI SETTLERS IN WEST BANK Graham, who frequently visited Ukraine, had just met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday. He was scheduled to appear on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning. Israeli President Isaac Herzog mourned Graham’s death, calling the South Carolina senator a “great American patriot” and a “great friend of Israel.” “Senator Graham was a beacon of moral clarity and a true leader of the U.S.-Israel partnership,” he said in a statement. “We will never forget how he stood by the people of Israel in our most difficult moments, and we will remain eternally grateful for his sense of justice, truth, and loyalty. “The people of Israel mourn his loss, and I will miss my great friend very dearly,” he added. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz remembered Graham as “an unwavering voice in support of Israel’s security and its right to defend itself.” He noted that Graham repeatedly visited Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, calling him “an exceptional leader, a man of principle, and a dear friend whose legacy will endure for generations.” Graham served 33 years in the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2015. An Air Force lawyer, he served in Germany during the Cold War, was called to active duty during the Gulf War, and later completed multiple Reserve deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan during congressional recesses. Graham’s office confirmed his death in a statement to Fox News Digital. This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
Delhi govt plans to install first solar tree at Secretariat; Here’s how it can reshape urban power supply in the capital
Traditional solar setups on roofs or on the ground require a lot of horizontal space. A solar tree does the opposite – it grows upward. The design has a single metal “trunk” with angled “branches” made to mount solar panels.
Pune building collapse: Death toll rises to 8 as search on for one missing
The incident had occurred on Wednesday (July 8) at around 1:30 pm as a huge heap of garbage collapsed onto the building at the Moshi landfill site.
Punjab: Bhupesh Baghel says there is ‘no factionalism’ in Congress’ state unit
Baghel added that party leaders and workers were keen to be given responsibility ahead of the 2027 assembly election.
Vietnam boat tragedy: ‘Barely left island when boat capzised’, survivor recounts horror that killed 15 Indians; Full details
A boat carrying over 30 Indian tourists that overturned an island in south Vietnam on Saturday had barely travelled 300-400 metres from the shore when it suddenly capsized, an Indian national said who witnessed the tragedy.
Vietnam boat accident: Video shows massive waves, overturned boat that killed 15 Indians
A video of the Vietnam boat tragedy in which 15 Indian nationals were killed has now emerged, reportedly showing an overturned boat surrounded by rescuers near Hon May Rut Ngoai Island off Vietnam’s Phu Quoc.
Houston protesters call on feds to release more information, and witnesses, to Tuesday’s ICE killing
Protesters demanded feds release footage of the shooting and the three men who were in the van with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo before he was killed.
‘Die Hard’ actor Robert Davi blasts Mamdani after NYC map omits Little Italy
“Die Hard” actor Robert Davi blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Friday after a city map highlighting immigrant enclaves omitted Little Italy. The “New York City Immigrant Enclaves” map resurfaced on social media earlier this week after users pointed out it omitted Little Italy, as well as historically Jewish and Irish neighborhoods, despite highlighting 30 immigrant communities across the five boroughs. Following criticism from Italian-American groups, the city said it plans to update the map to include Little Italy. MAMDANI DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL NYC MAP AFTER OMITTING ICONIC LITTLE ITALY, JEWISH AND IRISH NEIGHBORHOODS Davi, who was born in Astoria, Queens, lashed out at Mamdani in a video posted on X, calling him a “jerk” for snubbing Little Italy. “I hope every New York Italian American and Irish American spits on you when they see you,” Davi said. “I would spit on you if I saw you. Shame on you, you garbage man. Shame on you. Respect the city you’re in and understand the people who helped build it.” “My grandparents came from Sicily and Naples and they taught me, speak the English. This is America. God bless America,” the 75-year-old “Licence to Kill” actor said. ZOHRAN MAMDANI PRAISED FOR ‘FANTASTIC’ QUESTION-DODGING ON PRESIDENTIAL ELIGIBILITY “My grandfather enlisted in World War I and got wounded three times … he helped build New York City as an immigrant, an Italian immigrant,” he continued. The veteran actor also suggested the mayor, whom he described as a “leftist Marxist Communist,” leave the United States. “Go back to where you were born, Mamdani,” Davi said. “You don’t belong in America.” MAMDANI BLASTS ICE AGENTS, ELON MUSK AND ‘SUPREMACY’ IN AMERICA 250 SPEECH AHEAD OF JULY 4 WEEKEND Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to the United States when he was 7 years old. Davi also suggested there should be a constitutional amendment preventing Mamdani from running for public office. “You should spend time in America, at least a generation, especially those of you that come from a country that has a totally different philosophical ideology bent,” he said. The mayor’s office previously directed Fox News Digital to remarks Mamdani made during an unrelated press conference Friday, where he defended the map and said it had originally been created under the previous administration in 2023. “This map was initially created by the prior administration in 2023, and when we inherited it, we added a few additional neighborhoods,” Mamdani said. “It’s clearly not an exhaustive list of the more than 200 ethnic communities that call our city home, and we’re going to be making additional changes in the future to reflect that and that includes Little Italy.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment. According to the Library of Congress, more than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between the 1880s and 1924, with roughly one-third settling in New York City. Fox News Digital’s Brittany Miller contributed to this report.