President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Andrew Ferguson, a board member at the Federal Trade Commission and Big Tech critic, to run this major US antitrust and competition agency.
Ferguson will replace Lina Khan, whose antitrust lawsuits galvanized progressive Democrats and even some Republicans, but also received pushback from the business community, notably the tech industry.
Signaling his incoming administration’s priorities, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website that Ferguson “has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship.”
While Republicans are generally considered more business friendly than Democrats, conservatives also allege that their voices have been censored online in anti-disinformation campaigns, auguring a potential clash between Big Tech and the Trump administration.
Ferguson has also said that companies that pulled out of advertising on X (formerly Twitter) — which many did after new owner Elon Musk loosened rules on hate speech — might be doing so in violation of antitrust law.
Musk himself has become close with Trump, donating millions to support his election campaign. The billionaire is set to spearhead a government cost-cutting initiative under the new administration.
Trump has also tapped Gail Slater to lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division, meaning she would take over ongoing government legal battles against Google and Apple, accused of acting like monopolies.
“Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump said in his Truth Social post.
The incoming Republican president has been using the platform to make a slew of incoming announcements on major staffing decisions, often written late at night with words capitalized throughout.
Trump will take office on January 20.
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