WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2025 — President Donald Trump is anticipated to nominate Ryan Baasch, a senior economic policy advisor at the White House, to a commissioner role at the Federal Trade Commission, according to a Bloomberg report published Wednesday. Baasch, who previously served as an associate deputy attorney general in Texas, has built a legal career centered on First Amendment advocacy and opposition to content moderation practices by major digital platforms. n nIf confirmed by the Senate, Baasch would fill the seat left by Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, who is expected to be nominated as U.S. Attorney for Utah. His appointment would maintain a fully Republican commission and ensure the FTC retains a functional quorum for regulatory decisions. n nWithin the National Economic Council, Baasch led initiatives related to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, commercial space ventures, and telecommunications infrastructure. Prior to joining the NEC on January 27, he spent three years in the Texas Attorney General’s office, where he oversaw civil litigation efforts and handled numerous appellate cases involving constitutional rights and digital policy. n nBaasch has been a consistent critic of what he describes as politically motivated suppression of speech by large technology companies. During a 2023 Federalist Society event, he stated, “I don’t think its disputed anymore that social media platforms frequently censor truthful speech.” His views align with recent FTC inquiries into content moderation, which some legal experts have cautioned may stretch the agency’s regulatory boundaries. n nIn 2022, as assistant solicitor general for Texas, Baasch defended House Bill 20—a law permitting users to sue social networks like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) if they believe their political expression was unfairly restricted. The legislation, challenged by industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, remains under judicial review after the Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling and remanded the case in 2024. n nDuring oral arguments before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Baasch argued that dominant platforms function as modern public forums and warned against unchecked control over user expression. He also represented Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a dispute with Yelp, asserting the state’s authority to regulate business practices that could mislead consumers, even when such actions intersect with free speech claims. n nPaxton praised Baasch’s tenure, stating, “While at my office, Ryan delivered victory after victory in our fight against government overreach, predatory corporations, and Big Tech censorship.” Baasch also established Texas’s data privacy enforcement unit, empowering residents with greater control over their personal digital information. n nHis potential seven-year term at the FTC follows President Trump’s earlier removal of Democratic commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya in March. In September, the Supreme Court allowed Trump to keep those commissioners dismissed, pausing a lower court’s decision and reinforcing presidential authority over agency appointments. n
— news from Broadband Breakfast
— News Original —
Trump Expected to Name White House Economic Aide Ryan Baasch to FTC
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2025 — The White House’s next pick for the Federal Trade Commission built his reputation in Texas courtrooms, fighting for free speech and challenging what he describes as wrongful censorship by social media platforms. n nPresident Donald Trump was expected to nominate Ryan Baasch, a White House economic policy aide and former Texas associate deputy attorney general, to serve as a Republican commissioner on the FTC, according to a Wednesday report from Bloomberg. n nIf confirmed, Baasch would replace Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, who was expected to be nominated as U.S. Attorney for Utah. The appointment would preserve a unanimous group of Republicans at the agency, as well as preserving a quorum for agency action. n nAt the National Economic Council, Baasch focused on technology issues including artificial intelligence, space commercialization, and telecommunications networks. n nBefore joining the NEC on January 27, Bausch spent three years in the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where he supervised the office’s offensive civil litigation and maintained a heavy appellate caseload involving First Amendment and technology cases. n nCritic of social media ‘censorship’ n nA vocal critic of what he calls Big Tech censorship, Baasch has argued that major online platforms routinely suppress lawful political speech. n n“I don’t think its disputed anymore that social media platforms frequently censor truthful speech,” Baasch said during a Federalist Society webinar in Sept. 2023. n nThe FTC drew similar scrutiny this year when it sought public comment on social media platforms’ content moderation practices, a move First Amendment lawyers warned could exceed the FTC’s authority. n nServing as Texas assistant solicitor general in 2022, Baasch defended House Bill 20, a state law which allowed users banned from Facebook, Twitter (now X) or any other large social media platform to sue if they believe they were banned for their political views. n nThe law, challenged by social media trade groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, remains tied up in litigation after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a Fifth Circuit ruling and sent the case back for further review in 2024. n n“These social media platforms control the modern-day public square, but they abusively suppress speech in that square,” Baasch told judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in May 2022, defending the state law. n nBaasch also defended Texas AG Ken Paxton in a suit against Yelp, in which the state AG was accused of seeking to restrict the company’s free speech rights. In that case, Baasch argued that Texas law grants the state broad authority to act against any conduct that could mislead consumers. n n“While at my office, Ryan delivered victory after victory in our fight against government overreach, predatory corporations, and Big Tech censorship,” Paxton said in a press release congratulating Baasch on his appointment to the NEC. “I have no doubt [he] will continue working boldly to make America great.” n nDuring his tenure, Baasch launched the state’s data privacy enforcement team, which led Texas residents to gaining several key rights over their personal data online. n nIf confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Baasch would be confirmed to a seven-year term. n nTrump removed Democratic commissioners n nBaasch’s pending appointment comes after Trump’s removal of Democratic commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya in March. The Supreme Court in September granted Trump’s request to stay a lower court ruling, allowing him to immediately remove the commissioners.