The Dispute Index

Steve Cortes

Portrait of Steve Cortes
Official White House Photo by Joyce Boghosian, via Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domainCropped to Steve Cortes from a photo of him with President Donald Trump, and enlarged.

Steve Cortes is an American political commentator and former financial market strategist. He was a senior adviser and spokesman for Donald Trump's 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, focusing on Hispanic outreach, and has worked as a commentator for CNBC, CNN, Fox News and Newsmax. He founded the conservative advocacy group League of American Workers, is a senior political adviser and spokesman for CatholicVote, and hosts the online program Cortes Investigates. He is the author of Against the Herd and Bad Hombres.

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What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Steve Cortes on Energy Policy, International Relations, and Russia, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Statements by Steve Cortes

Portrait of Steve Cortes

Steve Cortes

Role at the time: Political commentator and former Trump campaign adviser, on X

Condemned

Response to this claim

Zelenskyy is intent on driving up gas and diesel prices for American families because he wants Democrats to win control of Congress.

“It appears he is intent on driving up gas and diesel prices on American families at all costs.”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Steve Cortes's X post on Zelenskyy and fuel prices · Steve CortesPost text and attached headline screenshot
Why we used this label

The reference point is Ukraine's decision on October 15, 2026 to abandon the energy truce Trump announced on October 11 and resume drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. Cortes condemns the move, saying Zelenskyy appears intent on raising American fuel prices to help Democrats, so we labeled it Condemned. No competing label fits.

Read statementUkraine resumes strikes on Russian refineries after Trump's energy truce; Steve Cortes blames Zelenskyy for fuel prices, and Rep. Don Bacon calls him a "Putin stooge"

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian refineries after Trump's energy truce; Steve Cortes blames Zelenskyy for fuel prices, and Rep. Don Bacon calls him a "Putin stooge"

Relationship to this case: Participant

After Trump announced an energy truce, Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian refineries, saying Moscow ignored it. Steve Cortes said Zelenskyy appears intent on raising U.S. fuel prices to help Democrats; Rep. Don Bacon called Cortes a Putin stooge.

RussiaInternational RelationsPublished