John,
Run by sycophants selected by Trump, as called for by Project 2025, the Federal Trade Commission has abandoned its role of protecting the public in order to become a personal attack dog for Trump and his allies.
When the nonprofit Media Matters exposed that ads for brands such as IBM and Apple were running alongside antisemitic and neo-Nazi statements on Elon Musk’s X, some companies, including Disney, Oracle, and Comcast, rightly pulled their ads -- costing Musk millions.
But instead of addressing the flood of extremist content, Musk lashed out with a lawsuit against the truth-teller. And now Trump’s FTC, stripped of its Democratic commissioners, is acting as his enforcer, launching a retaliatory probe into Media Matters.
This isn’t consumer protection. It’s political retribution. The FTC was created to protect the public from fraud, abuse, and unfair practices -- not to punish watchdogs, journalists, or nonprofits for speaking the truth.
Tell the FTC: drop the investigation into Media Matters. Stop serving as Trump’s personal attack dog, and recommit to protecting the people -- not the powerful.
A federal court in Washington, D.C. has halted the FTC’s probe for now, while Media Matters’ lawsuit proceeds. Calling Media Matters’ reporting “quintessential First Amendment activity,” the court emphasized that “the principle that public issues should be debated freely has long been woven into the very fabric of who we are as a Nation. Without it, our democracy stands on shaky ground.”
That’s why this fight matters. If Trump can weaponize the FTC against Media Matters today, then any watchdog -- journalists, advocates, educators, or nonprofits -- can be targeted tomorrow. Too many institutions have already caved under Trump’s intimidation. We cannot allow the FTC to become just another weapon in Trump’s arsenal.
The FTC must return to its rightful role: protecting the public, upholding fair business practices, and safeguarding the values that make democracy possible. Not serving billionaires. Not punishing truth-tellers.
Tell the FTC: drop the investigation into Media Matters and go back to your essential role in protecting the public.
Thank you for calling off the FTC from this unwarranted attack.
- DFA AF Team
