Trump Appoints Gail Slater to Lead Antitrust Division

By Jody Godoy
(Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday selected Gail Slater, a veteran in antitrust law and economic adviser for JD Vance, to head the Department of Justice's antitrust division. She will oversee significant monopoly cases against companies such as Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Visa (NYSE:V), and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).

Slater is expected to continue the department's crackdown on Big Tech, including ongoing cases from Trump's previous term, as noted in a post on his social media platform. Trump stated, "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!"

Background on Gail Slater

Slater served on the White House's National Economic Council in 2018, contributing to Trump's executive order on national security regarding Chinese telecommunications equipment. Prior to joining Vance's office, her experience included roles at Fox Corp (NASDAQ:FOXA) and Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU).

Vance, the U.S. vice president-elect, believes antitrust officials should adopt a broader approach to enforcement and praised Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's work.

Growing up in Dublin, Ireland, Slater started her legal career in London at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, leading her to Washington. She spent a decade at the FTC as an antitrust attorney where she blocked major mergers, including Whole Foods' acquisition of Wild Oats.

She also represented Big Tech firms like Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Google at the defunct Internet Association.

Despite having worked with Big Tech, she is regarded as an antitrust hawk, which has gained her support among skeptics of the industry. Garrett Ventry, a former congressional adviser, asserted that Trump is serious about challenging Big Tech, stating, "Antitrust enforcement is here to stay."

The Tech Oversight project, which supported Biden's DOJ antitrust chief, Jonathan Kanter, remarked that her nomination reflects the bipartisan focus on antitrust issues. Executive Director Sacha Haworth expressed confidence that Slater is a strong candidate for advancing this work.

Goals and Pending Cases

Slater will manage high-profile cases against major corporations accused of unlawfully establishing monopolies. Trump emphasized Slater's role in ensuring that competition laws are enforced rigorously and fairly, with clear rules promoting, rather than hindering, innovation.

Her responsibilities will include overseeing the DOJ's challenge to Google regarding its dominance in online search and Chrome browser, a case initially filed in 2020, as well as several ongoing legal battles involving Google and Apple. Slater could also decide the fate of probes into other companies, including Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Visa.

The appointment signifies a strong commitment to continued antitrust enforcement, making it clear that high-profile scrutiny of industry giants is likely to persist under Slater's leadership.