Antitrust Policy Under New FTC Chair Looks Similar to Biden Administration, Analysts Say

News Analysis Despite sweeping into office on a deregulation platform, it is uncertain how much federal antitrust actions will change under the Trump administration from what it was under President Joe Biden. After President Donald Trump’s election in November 2024, many analysts expected that 2025 would be a banner year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A). A report by Voya, a financial advisory firm that tracks M&A markets, predicted in December that “antitrust leniency” from the Trump administration would “reduce barriers to large mergers and unlock lucrative M&A activity.” But the changing of the guard thus far has not indicated an easier path for mergers. It does, however, suggest that priorities beyond the traditional consumer welfare standard will continue to drive the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) antitrust policy....