Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan
The Hindu
Trump appoints Andrew Ferguson as new FTC chair, signaling potential shift in antitrust enforcement and Big Tech scrutiny.
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission.
He will replace Lina Khan, who 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.
Ferguson is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans.
“Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.”
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.
“These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis.
Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command.