Trump picks Andrew Ferguson to chair FTC, Ronald Johnson as U.S. ambassador to Mexico
President-elect Donald Trump plunges into chaos again job announcements On Tuesday, Andrew Ferguson was elected as the next Federal Trade Commission chairman and Ronald Johnson was nominated to be ambassador to Mexico. Kimberly Guilfoyle Served as ambassador to Greece.
Ferguson, already one of five FTC commissioners, will succeed Lena Khan, Who became the lightning rod? Blocked multi-billion dollar corporate acquisitions for Wall Street and Silicon Valley, and sued Amazon and Meta, alleging anti-competitive conduct.
“Andrew has a strong record of resisting Big Tech censorship and protecting free speech in our great country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most American of our nation. , the most pro-innovation FTC chairman in the nation’s history. “
Tom Barak has been selected as the nominee for ambassador to Türkiye. Barrack is a wealthy financier who met Trump in the 1980s when he was helping negotiate Trump’s purchase of the famed Plaza Hotel. He was accused of using personal contacts with the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted in a 2022 federal trial.
Trump called him a “respected, experienced voice of reason.”
Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first administration. His nomination comes after the president-elect has Threatening to impose tariffs Regarding Mexican imports and mass deportations of immigrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also a former U.S. Army veteran who served in the CIA.
Fred Ramos/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led fundraising for Trump’s 2020 campaign and became engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump called her a “close friend and ally” and praised her “keen intellect that makes her eminently qualified.” On election night, Guilfoyle took the stage with his family.
“I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she has always wanted to serve our country as an ambassador. She will be a great leader for America First,” Don Jr. posted.
Ambassadorships must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next ambassador to Greece, and I look forward to receiving the support of the U.S. Senate.”
Trump also announced on Tuesday that he has selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment and appointed Dan Bishop as budget and management OFFICE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR BUDGET.
Khan’s replacement at the FTC could mean the commission will be more lenient in antitrust enforcement. The new chairman is expected to name new directors for the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions.
“These changes could make the FTC more pro-business than it has been in recent years, although the extent remains to be seen,” Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, wrote in a recent analysis Sure.”
Deals blocked by the Biden administration could find new life under Trump.
For example, new leadership may be more open to accepting Proposed merger A $24.6 billion deal has been struck between the two largest U.S. supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, to merge in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night.
The FTC filed suit in federal court earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower worker wages. The companies said the merger would help them lower prices and compete with larger rivals such as Walmart.
A judge said the FTC has shown it is likely to prevail in administrative hearings.
However, some experts say the Trump administration may not completely abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, given widespread public concerns about high grocery prices.
The Federal Trade Commission will likely continue to scrutinize any anticompetitive behavior by big tech companies. Many Republican politicians have accused companies like Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials around Trump, notably Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s censorship of big tech companies.
