Abigail Slater delivered her first public address as assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice on Monday, where she argued for an "America First Antitrust" policy based on patriotism, textualism, and respect for precedent and the rule of law. Speaking at the University of Notre Dame, Slater claimed her antitrust regime will empower "America's forgotten men and women to shape their own economic destinies in the free market." In reality, her populist antitrust agenda will retard American innovation and economic growth.
Slater, who was an economic policy adviser to Vice President J.D. Vance when he was in the Senate, opened her remarks by thanking President Donald Trump, who has "assailed the use of 'market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans,'" for giving her "the chance to defend the American people's rights at this critical juncture in our history."
Slater explains that the Trump administration is "undertaking deregulation that will unleash innovation in AI and other technologies" but celebrates the DOJ's recent victory in the Google ad tech case, saying, "Our teams more often than not win the battle on behalf of the American people." Embroiling Big Tech firms in expensive antitrust suits stifles innovation by decreasing capital available for R&D and discouraging startup acquisition.
