The Populist Progressive Case for Matt Gaetz

The Florida Republican has championed consumer and privacy reforms, breaking up Silicon Valley monopolies, and opposes corporate money in politics. 

LEE FANG

NOV 13

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PAID

This article was published in partnership with Unherd.

Donald Trump announced today that he will elevate Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as his next Attorney General, a post with sweeping powers over the Department of Justice.

Gaetz may be known as a bombastic MAGA supporter in the eyes of the media. He livestreams, he podcasts, he trades barbs with political enemies with acidic bluster. 

But for those who have closely followed his legislative career, the Florida lawmaker represents a sharp break from the corporate-friendly orthodoxy of the modern Republican Party. 

Indeed, Gaetz’s elevation will provide sprawling prosecutorial powers for continuing his push against special interest influence and corporate malfeasance. 

His record speaks for itself. From his perch on the House Judiciary Committee, Gaetz has promoted a surprisingly consumer-friendly agenda, routinely breaking with his GOP colleagues on crucial votes. He previously supported legislative measures to break up Silicon Valley monopolies, sharply regulate the online data broker industry, ban noncompete employment contracts, and an end to the practice of forced arbitration, among other corporate accountability votes. He has also taken maverick positions on reducing FBI surveillance powers, cutting certain arms supplies to Saudi Arabia and legalizing marijuana.

In addition, Gaetz has staked a position at times to the Left of some establishment Democrats. In the fight over the Ending Platform Monopolies Act — a bill designed to curb anticompetitive practices by Amazon and Google — Gaetz ended up supporting the legislation, while California Democrats close to the tech industry, such as Zoe Lofgren and Eric Swalwell, voted against it.

In an era of severe political polarization, the Florida representative has found opportunities to support actions of the Biden administration. In August, Gaetz wrote a letter to Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai, urging him to "adhere fully" to the antitrust ruling against the company secured by the current Department of Justice. He has called on Trump to continue a corporate law enforcement pattern started by the Biden administration. “I would hope that whoever is the next FTC chair would continue many of the cases that Chair Khan has brought against predatory businesses,” Gaetz told the Wall Street Journal.

Gaetz’s dealing with the populist Left do not end there. Not only did he pushfor a crackdown on the influence industry in Washington, he teamed up with Leftist firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a demand to end congressional stock trading over concerns that lawmakers have enriched themselves using insider knowledge. “AOC is wrong a lot,” Gaetz said, explaining the bipartisan push. “But she’s not corrupt. And I will work with anyone and everyone to ensure that Congress is not so compromised.”

Little surprise, then, that Gaetz was the first Republican to refuse corporate and lobbyist PAC money, joining a 2020 pledge on campaign finance typically championed by those associated with the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party. 

It is possible that Trump’s choice of Gaetz rests largely on his loyalty and his criticism of the handling of the January 6 investigation. He has been an outspoken critic of government overreach in prosecuting nonviolent participants in the riots. 

In his new role as attorney general, the Department of Justice will face a variety of challenges over the next year, including questions over how to pursue corporate mergers, government waste, and a variety of fraud cases pending before the courts. If his recent actions are any indication, Gaetz may be the perfect man for the job to solidify the drift away from the GOP’s corporatism. 

"As the Republican Party becomes more working class, we’re less captive to the neolibertarian view that everything big business does to people is OK," Gaetz told reporters earlier this year. That means, he added, the party "can't be whores for big business and be the voice of the working class at the same time."

Reform may be on the horizon. The Gaetz nomination represents the second most significant personnel choice towards a more consumer-centric GOP.