President-elect Donald Trump has selected Federal Trade Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to chair the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announcing the decision on Truth Social. Ferguson, a Republican FTC commissioner appointed by President Joe Biden, was praised by Trump as “the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Trump emphasized Ferguson’s commitment to protecting free speech and combating Big Tech censorship.
Ferguson, previously Virginia’s solicitor general, has advocated for investigating online censorship of conservative viewpoints. He has stated that social media platforms or advertisers collaborating to suppress such views should face antitrust charges. Ferguson’s background includes serving as counsel to Senator Mitch McConnell and clerking for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
In addition to Ferguson’s appointment, Trump announced his intention to nominate Mark Meador, a partner at Kressin Meador Powers and former antitrust counsel to Senator Mike Lee, as an FTC commissioner. Meador would replace current FTC Chair Lina Khan, whose term has expired.
Ferguson will inherit numerous high-profile cases, including lawsuits against Big Tech firms, pharmacy benefit managers, and investigations into Microsoft’s cloud practices and OpenAI’s privacy concerns. He has criticized Khan and the Democratic majority for overreaching their authority in some enforcement actions, particularly involving AI and privacy.
Under Ferguson, the FTC could take a different approach in major cases against Amazon’s marketplace practices and Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. Trump also plans to appoint Gail Slater to lead the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, which oversees Google cases. This reshaping of leadership signals a Republican shift in antitrust policy.
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