Trump FTC commission to head agency

President-elect Trump has tapped Andrew Ferguson to serve as chair of the Federal Trade Commission, the anti-trust agency of which he already serves as a commissioner. 

“Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump said in a Tuesday statement posted to his Truth Social network. “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.”

“Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History,” he added.

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Ferguson is one of two Republican commissioners on the five-member panel chaired by Lina Khan. Ferguson, who also served as the solicitor general of Virginia, was appointed to the commission by President Biden and joined the FTC on April 2. 

The FTC is charged with acting as an anti-trust and consumer protection agency. 

The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions.

Khan became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior.

Under Khan, the FTC blocked a proposed merger between Korger and Albertsons, two large supermarket chains which forged a $24.6 billion deal in 2022. 

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. The committee and its chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), have accused Khan and the commission of “mismanagement,” “disregard for ethics and congressional oversight” and  “politicized rulemakings.”  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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On Tuesday, a judge halted the merger after the FTC filed a lawsuit to block the move, alleging it would lead to high prices and lower wages for workers. 

Ferguson’s experience could signal continued scrutiny of large tech companies. 

In a statement earlier this month, he called for the prosecution of “unlawful collision” between online platforms that could limit “Americans’ ability to exchange ideas freely and openly.”

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. The rally, held in partnership with Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action, comes come two weeks after Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Harris held a rally at the same location.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

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“In particular, we must vigorously enforce the antitrust laws against any platforms found to be unlawfully limiting Americans’ ability to exchange ideas freely and openly,” he wrote. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.