The Chattanooga Times Free Press sat down with Steve Forbes for a 1-on-1 interview ahead of his Thursday evening guest lecture at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The Forbes editor-in-chief, two-time presidential candidate for the Republican Party nomination and one-time “Saturday Night Live” host who famously advocated for a national flat-tax rate, presented “How Free Enterprise, Not Government, Made America Great” as part of UTC’s Burkett Miller Distinguished Lecture Series.
In his interview, the 78-year-old Forbes discussed tariffs, the Federal Reserve and his belief that free market values make the United States great as the country approaches its 250th birthday. The conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: You did a lecture at UTC before back in 1997 on the economy —
A: Yes, before you were born. Back when woolly mammoths were around, I got to do a series here, and it’s good to be back on a campus where points of view can be diverse. It’s what a university should be.