Signs that Donald Trump may not abandon a key policy of President Joe Biden's involving Big Tech are leaving progressives "cautiously optimistic," according to a new report.
It involves his stance on antitrust policies, a set of regulations designed to promote fair competition in the marketplace.
The president-elect has nominated former J.D. Vance adviser Gail Slater as assistant attorney general for the antitrust division of the Department of Justice and intends to promote Federal Trade commissioner Andrew Ferguson as chair of that agency, while antitrust attorney Mark Meador will serve as a third Republican member of the FTC — to the pleasant surprise of some progressive organizations, reported HuffPost.
“Gail Slater and Mark Meador are very, very much allies,” said Dan Geldon, an antimonopoly consultant and former chief of staff to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). “I’m cautiously optimistic based on [Trump’s] appointments and public statements to date that he’s going to continue the antimonopoly momentum that has been built over the last couple of years.”
Slater's appointment likely means the federal government’s court victories against Big Tech won't be rolled back, while Meador has expressed support for antimonopoly policies in technology and other industries, the report states.
Watchdogs say they seem poised to continue much of the the work of Biden's selections of Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan, assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Jonathan Kanter, and Tim Wu as special assistant to the president on technology and competition policy.
“The antitrust left should be ecstatic," said Mike Davis, founder of the conservative Internet Accountability Project. "The ‘Wu & Khan & Kanter’ mugs could be easily turned into ‘Slater & Ferguson & Meador’ mugs."
Trump has also tapped Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a moderate, pro-labor Republican, to serve as secretary of labor, and trade hawk Jamieson Greer will serve as U.S. trade representative, both of whom have given progressives a sense of optimism.
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“Clearly, antitrust reform and taking on corporate monopolies for their predatory behavior that raises prices and stifles innovation is a bipartisan issue that’s also very popular,” said Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project and a Democratic campaign strategist. “It’s not something that seems to be on its way out with the outgoing administration.”
While progressives see an opportunity with common ground on antitrust policy with the president-elect, some watchdogs are skeptical that a pro-business Republican will crack down too hard on monopoly practices.
“I assume it’s going to be same-old, same-old, until I see otherwise,” said Matt Stoller, director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, who co-authored an October report comparing Biden and Trump’s antitrust policy records.