Trump Picks Ftc Commissioner Andrew Ferguson To Lead The Agency

President-elect Donald Trump picked FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to head the Federal Trade Commission, he announced Tuesday on Truth Social.

Ferguson will inherit the independent agency from progressive leader Lina Khan. He will assume various antitrust lawsuits and investigations against the tech industry and other sectors that are already underway. Ferguson would coordinate the handling of these antitrust probes with Gail Slater, a veteran conservative lawyer who Trump recently named to lead his Justice Department’s antitrust division. Ferguson recently lauded Slater, who must be confirmed by the Senate, as a “perfect pick” for that role.

Ferguson can assume the role of FTC chair immediately following Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 since he is already a commissioner. He was nominated in July of 2023 and confirmed by voice vote this past March to a term running through Sept. 25, 2030.

His confirmation was delayed due to a monthslong block from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who was worried about Ferguson’s ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his views on Big Tech. Ferguson previously served as solicitor general of Virginia and did stints as chief counsel for McConnell and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

When lifting his hold in March, Hawley said he was “pleased to hear [Ferguson] express strong support for robust antitrust enforcement.”

Ferguson has taken a tough line on tech platforms in recent weeks. “The FTC must protect Americans' freedom of speech online,” he wrote in a statement early in December. “If platforms or advertisers are colluding to suppress free speech in violation of the antitrust laws, the FTC must prosecute them and break up those cartels.”

Brendan Carr, Trump’s incoming Federal Communications Commission chair who has pledged to smash Big Tech’s “censorship cartel,” recently shared Ferguson’s comments on social media with a bull’s eye emoji. Nathan Leamer, a Carr ally and former FCC official, recently teased the possibility of Ferguson’s pick, suggesting shared ideological commitments unite Carr, Slater and Ferguson.

Ferguson’s agenda will initially be limited by the lack of a Republican majority at the five-member trade commission. Trump will have to nominate a new Republican commissioner, who will require Senate confirmation.