Donald Trump has tapped longtime Big Tech critic Adam Candeub to lead the Department of Justice’s antitrust division as assistant attorney‑general. The White House confirmed the nomination on Tuesday, positioning Candeub to oversee the DOJ’s high‑profile cases against major platforms.

As a former Commerce official in Trump’s first term, Candeub helped execute an executive order targeting alleged conservative‑speech censorship and authored a Project 2025 chapter calling for tougher federal competition enforcement. He has also argued that Section 230 shields firms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter (now X) from liability while enabling a “censorship regime.”

Candeub will inherit ongoing matters including Google’s appeal of the landmark monopoly ruling, the DOJ’s 2024 lawsuit accusing Apple of illegally monopolising smartphone markets, and the $110bn Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, which a judge has temporarily paused.

Senate confirmation may take months in the narrowly Republican‑controlled chamber; the division has been run by acting heads Omeed Assefi and associate attorney‑general Stanley Woodward since Gail Slater’s departure. FCC Chair Brendan Carr praised Candeub’s “thoughtful and sensible approach” and said he would advance “common sense policies” at the DOJ.