Trump Picks Ferguson to be Next FTC Chair

President-Elect Donald J. Trump announced that he is picking FTC Commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson to be the next Chair of the Federal Trade Commission.   In announcing the appointment on Truth Social, Trump said, “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country.” 

Ferguson, a Republican, was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2023 and was sworn in as a Commissioner on April 2, 2024.  Prior to joining the FTC, he served as Solicitor General of Virginia, Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, and as a Republican counsel on the U.S. Sentate Judiciary Committee.  Early in his career, he clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. 

After being nominated, Ferguson posted, “At the FTC, we will end Big Tech's vendetta against competition and free speech.  We will make sure that America is the world's technological leader and the best place for innovators to bring new ideas to life.”  

Ferguson will replace FTC Chair Lina Khan, whose term on the Commission expired in September.  She is expected to continue to serve in her post until the end of Biden's term. 

With Khan's departure, that opens up an an additional spot on the Commission.  Trump has indicated that he is nominating Mark R. Meador, a partner at the law firm Kressin Meador Powers, to be the third Republican Commissioner on the FTC.