Steve Forbes defends publishing controversial op-ed, says he doesn't support 'blacklists' of Trump staffers

close

Video

Steve Forbes 'not going to blacklist' Trump admin, welcomes 'diverse opinions'

Steve Forbes, chairman and CEO of Forbes Media, tells 'Fox & Friends' he supports diversity of opinion unlike Big Tech.

Steve Forbes, the chairman and CEO of Forbes Media, denounced blacklists of Trump administration officials in his defense of a controversial op-ed in his magazine threatening companies who hire Trump "fabulists."

"Unlike Twitter, media giants, and Big Tech companies, we believe in diversity of opinion," Forbes told "Fox & Friends" Wednesday.

FORBES OP-ED WARNS COMPANIES ABOUT HIRING 'FABULISTS' FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Forbes magazine’s chief content officer, Randall Lane, warned companies that may consider hiring Kayleigh McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and others who worked for the Trump administration.

"Let it be known to the business world: Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie," Lane wrote in a piece published Thursday.

Video

The CEO said his opinion differs from his chief content officer.

"This is reminiscent of what we had in the 1950s during the McCarthy era," Forbes explained. "People were denied work because of their political beliefs..."

"We're not going to have blacklists and the like," Forbes said. "People can express opinions. Unlike other organizations, we do have diverse opinions at Forbes and we value those diverse opinions and I think that shows strength, not weakness."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Forbes defended the op-ed as an "example" of differing views that are not as prevalent in universities or Big Tech.

The former Republican presidential candidate said he and Lane are against cancel culture, which Forbes called a "cancer" and called on the nation to "get together and move forward."

Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.