Trump nominates WeatherTech founder David MacNeil to the F.T.C.

President Trump on Tuesday nominated David MacNeil, a Republican political donor who founded and leads WeatherTech, to an open seat on the Federal Trade Commission. Mr. MacNeil is chief executive of WeatherTech, an Illinois company that manufactures floor mats for cars and homes and other products like bowls for dogs and cats.

He has backed Mr. Trump and donated extensively to Republican candidates. Mr. MacNeil has lauded the value of domestic manufacturing. He told CBS News in July, "Being deceptive and saying it's made in America, when it's not, is not fair," and added, "And so people should just tell the truth." The nomination follows Mr.

Trump's efforts to remake the F.T.C., which typically has five governing members, with three appointed from the president's party. Mr. Trump fired the commission's two Democratic members last year, a move that challenged longstanding legal protections that prevent commissioners from losing their jobs over policy disagreements with the White House.

The Supreme Court is now considering whether the president had the legal right to fire one of those commissioners, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. The White House announced Mr. MacNeil's nomination on Tuesday, and it was confirmed in a congratulatory post on social media by Andrew Ferguson, the F.T.C.'s chair.

Key Topics

Politics, David Macneil, Weathertech, Federal Trade Commission, Donald Trump, Melissa Holyoak