Steve Cortes (born January 5, 1972 [1] ) is an American political commentator, media personality, and former financial strategist known for his advocacy of America First politics and his support for Donald Trump. He has worked as a broadcaster for major networks including Fox News, CNN, CNBC, and Newsmax, and was a senior adviser on Trump's 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, where he played a prominent role in Hispanic outreach.
Cortes is also the founder of the conservative advocacy group League of American Workers and a senior political advisor for CatholicVote. He is the author of two books, Against the Herd and Bad Hombres, and remains an active voice in conservative politics.
Steve Cortes is originally from Chicago, Illinois, where he spent his early years and was raised by his parents. [1] [2] His father was an immigrant from Colombia who grew up on a ranch during the 1930s, and his mother was of Irish descent. Cortes is one of six children, with three sisters and two brothers. His mother raised all six children on her own. [1]
He identifies as Hispanic and has been described as a leading Latino advocate associated with the New Right, a patriotic populist political movement in the United States. [1]
Cortes graduated from Georgetown University in 1994 with a degree in government studies. [1] [3] While at Georgetown, he was nominated by the university for the Rhodes Scholarship. [2] [4] He was also named a George F. Baker Scholar. [5]
During his time at Georgetown, Cortes played as a defensive lineman on the university's football team for three years. He also played football as a high school student. [1] [4]
Cortes has had a long career as a political commentator, with a notable presence on Fox News as an on-air broadcaster and contributor. [6] [7] He has worked in cable news for fifteen years, with Fox News among the networks where he has appeared regularly. As of 2025, he remains a contributor to the network. [7] [8] [9]
Cortes frequently appears on Fox News programs, including Gutfeld! and Fox & Friends . [1] He has been featured as an on-air broadcaster on the network. [8] [6]
During the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, Cortes served as a primary television surrogate for Donald Trump. In this role, he made numerous national television appearances to speak in support of the Trump campaign. [9] [10] [11] [12] Maria Bartiromo, identified as a former colleague from Fox News, described Cortes as a “strong communicator who understood very early on what the people wanted in a commander-in-chief” in reference to his television work for the campaign. [8] [11]
Cortes has a background in global capital markets, with twenty-five years of experience trading global currencies and interest rates on behalf of institutional investors. [6] [7] [13] He founded his own independent company and later concluded his sales and trading career as Chief Strategist for BGC Partners. [13]
Cortes began his financial career in 1994 as a government bond salesman at Prudential Financial. In 1998, he shifted to independent trading, using technical black-box models to operate in global government bond markets. [3]
In 2002, he established Veracruz TJM, a research and consulting firm that provides real-time market analysis to clients including broker-dealers, hedge funds, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm's coverage spans global markets, including equities, currencies, and fixed income instruments. [3] [4] He has also served as head strategist for BGC Partners, where he advised banks and hedge funds on risk management strategies. [13] [11]
Cortes is the author of Against the Herd: 6 Contrarian Investment Strategies You Should Follow (2011), a book that outlines his contrarian investment philosophy and emphasizes strategies aimed at avoiding financial loss rather than pursuing rapid gains. [2]
Cortes has worked as a cable news television commentator for fifteen years, contributing to several networks in addition to Fox News. [7] [1] He began his broadcasting career at CNBC, where he provided regular commentary on financial markets. He was a frequent contributor to the Fast Money franchise and co-hosted the Fast Money Halftime Report. [9] [4]
Cortes has also worked as an on-air broadcaster and political commentator for CNN. [2] In 2021, he joined Newsmax to co-host a primetime program. [8] [14] [15] [16]
He previously hosted The Steve Cortes Show on AM 560 The Answer, a conservative talk radio station. He temporarily left the program in July 2020 to join Donald Trump's re-election campaign and returned to the show in early November following the election. Cortes currently hosts The Steve Cortes Show on YouTube. [17] [2]
His written commentary has appeared in publications such as RealClearPolitics and Human Events. [18] In addition to his television and radio work, he has produced and released short-form documentaries, typically around 20 minutes in length, covering topics such as undocumented immigration in Arizona and criticisms of wind energy projects, referred to as the “wind scam”. [19]
Cortes has played a prominent role in Donald Trump's presidential campaigns, serving as a senior adviser for communications as well as a senior spokesman and strategist during both the 2016 and 2020 election cycles. [20] [21] [13] He was responsible for leading Hispanic outreach efforts and was appointed to both the Trump campaign's Hispanic Advisory Council and the White House Commission on Hispanic Prosperity. [13] [11] [1]
Cortes has been described as the most prominent Latino figure associated with the Trump campaign and a leading Latino advocate for the New Right, a political movement often characterized as patriotic populism. [11] [1]
In 2023, he served as the national spokesman for Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign. He later resigned from that role and publicly endorsed Trump, stating that his earlier support for DeSantis had been a mistake. [21] [22] He stated that divisions within the Republican Party could be harmful and emphasized the need for unity behind Donald Trump to prevent the reelection of Joe Biden. He cited concerns about border security, crime, and what he described as the influence of progressive ideology. [22]
Cortes also worked as a senior media advisor for J.D. Vance’s successful 2022 U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio. [23]
In 2022, he founded the League of American Workers (LAW), a conservative advocacy organization focused on researching and promoting public policies that affect American workers and the economy. He continues to serve as the group's president. [23] [6] [24]
In February 2025, he joined CatholicVote, an advocacy organization representing Catholic perspectives on political issues, as a senior political advisor and spokesman. [9] [25] [26]
Cortes is the author of Bad Hombres: How Hispanics Will Save America (2024), a book that examines political realignment among Hispanic voters and their growing support for right-leaning policies. [7]
He is known for his involvement in America First politics and is a vocal proponent of positions on border security, economic policy, and election integrity. [23]
He married Holly Cortes in 1998. She has served on the Women's Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital since 2012 and currently holds the position of president. [1]
The couple has four children. Their daughter, Kingsley Wilson, was appointed deputy press secretary at the Pentagon in January 2025 during the Trump administration and previously served as the national committeewoman for the DC Young Republicans. [1]