Trump picks Andrew Ferguson to chair FTC, Ronald Johnson as U.S. ambassador to Mexico

President-elect Donald Trump made one other flurry of job bulletins on Tuesday, deciding on Andrew Ferguson as the subsequent chair of the Federal Commerce Fee, Ronald Johnson was nominated to be ambassador to Mexico, and Kimberly Guilfoyle to be ambassador to Greece.

Ferguson, who’s already one of many FTC’s 5 commissioners, will exchange Lina Khan, who grew to become a lightning rod for Wall Road and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of {dollars} value of company acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta whereas alleging anticompetitive conduct.

“Andrew has a confirmed file of standing as much as Huge Tech censorship, and defending Freedom of Speech in our Nice Nation,” Trump wrote on Reality Social, including, “Andrew would be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Nation’s Historical past.”

Tom Barrack was chosen because the nominee for ambassador to Turkey. Barrack, a rich financier, met Trump within the Eighties whereas serving to negotiate Trump’s buy of the famend Plaza Resort. He was charged with utilizing his private entry to the previous president to secretly promote the pursuits of the United Arab Emirates, however was acquitted of all counts at a federal trial in 2022.

Trump known as him a “well-respected and skilled voice of cause.”

Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador throughout Trump’s first administration. His nomination comes because the president-elect has been threatening tariffs on Mexican imports and the mass deportation of migrants who’ve arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson can also be a former U.S. Military veteran and was within the Central Intelligence Company.

Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and tv information character who led the fundraising for Trump’s 2020 marketing campaign and have become engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump known as her “a detailed pal and ally” and praised her “sharp mind make her supremely certified.” Guilfoyle was on stage with the household on election night time.

“I’m so pleased with Kimberly. She loves America and he or she at all times has wished to serve the nation as an Ambassador. She will likely be an incredible chief for America First,” Don Jr. posted.

The ambassador positions should be permitted by the U.S. Senate.

Guilfoyle stated in a social media submit that she was “honored to just accept President Trump’s nomination to function the subsequent Ambassador to Greece and I sit up for incomes the help of the U.S. Senate.”

Trump additionally introduced Tuesday that he had chosen Jacob Helberg as the subsequent undersecretary of state for financial development, power and the atmosphere, and Dan Bishop as deputy director for price range on the Workplace of Finances and Administration.

The substitute of Khan on the FTC seemingly implies that the fee will function with a lighter contact in relation to antitrust enforcement. The brand new chair is predicted to nominate new administrators of the FTC’s antitrust and client safety divisions.

“These adjustments seemingly will make the FTC extra favorable to enterprise than it has been in recent times, although the extent to which is to be decided,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a client safety legal professional at Holland & Knight, in a current evaluation.

Offers that had been blocked by the Biden administration might discover new life with Trump in command.

For instance, the brand new management may very well be extra open to a proposed merger between the nation’s two largest grocery store chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which solid a $24.6 billion deal to mix in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night time.

The FTC had filed a lawsuit in federal courtroom earlier this 12 months to dam the merger, claiming the deal would eradicate competitors, resulting in greater costs and decrease wages for staff. The 2 corporations say a merger would assist them decrease costs and compete in opposition to greater rivals like Walmart.

One of many judges stated the FTC had proven it was more likely to prevail within the administrative listening to.

But given the widespread public concern over excessive grocery costs, the Trump administration might not totally abandon the FTC’s efforts to dam the deal, some consultants have stated.

And the FTC might proceed to scrutinize Huge Tech companies for any anticompetitive conduct. Many Republican politicians have accused companies resembling Meta of censoring conservative views, and a few officers in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have beforehand expressed help for Khan’s scrutiny of Huge Tech companies.