Trump taps Gail Slater to lead DOJ antitrust division

President-elect Trump on Wednesday tapped Gail Slater, a former adviser to Vice President-elect JD Vance, to lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division. 

“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump said in a statement. 

“I was proud to fight these abuses in my First Term, and our Department of Justice’s antitrust team will continue that work under Gail’s leadership,” he continued. 

Slater will take over the DOJ's high-profile antitrust cases against tech giants like Google and Apple. She previously served as an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and on the White House National Economic Council during Trump’s first term. 

“In her new role, Gail will help ensure that our competition laws are enforced, both vigorously and FAIRLY, with clear rules that facilitate, rather than stifle, the ingenuity of our greatest companies,” Trump added. “Congratulations Gail - Together, we will Make America Competitive Again!” 

The appointment is yet another indication that Big Tech could continue to face heavy scrutiny under Trump. 

During his first administration, Trump’s DOJ sued Google for allegedly monopolizing online search — a case the agency ultimately won in August. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also initiated an antitrust suit against Meta over its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. 

Under President Biden, the DOJ and FTC have taken a more aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement.  

The Justice Department filed another suit against Google over its dominance in the advertising technology space and sued Apple for allegedly monopolizing the smartphone market.  

Biden’s FTC also sued Amazon for antitrust violations, accusing the e-commerce giant of engaging in anticompetitive behavior to dominate the online retail space.