Republicans overwhelmingly say Trump should 'break up Big Tech,' most oppose GOP FTC nominee: Poll

Nearly eight in ten Republicans say they agree with efforts from former President Donald Trump to break up Big Tech companies and most are opposed to President Joe Biden's GOP pick for the Federal Trade Commission based on her previous connections to a group funded by tech giants, according to a new poll obtained by Just the News. 

Most Republicans – 79% – say they "strongly" or "somewhat" agree with calls from Trump and others to "break up Big Tech" companies, such as Google and Facebook, over their censorship policies, according to a new survey from the polling agency J.L. Partners.

If Trump is elected to another term this November, 82% of Republicans said they are concerned that the "Deep State," the term used to describe government officials believed to be influential in policy, would work to undermine Trump's agenda. 

Additionally, 86% of Republicans said it is important for FTC commissioners, who have the power to hold Big Tech accountable, to "be willing to stand up to powerful companies," the survey also showed.

The poll also asked for Republicans' input on Melissa Holyoak, whom Biden nominated as a Republican FTC commissioner last July. 

Holyoak, Utah's solicitor general, spent five years working as an attorney for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a D.C.-based libertarian think tank. The institute does not disclose its donors, but it has received donations from Google, Facebook and Comcast, among other corporations, according to the political watchdog InfluenceWatch.

Most Republicans, 62%, are somewhat or strongly opposed to Holyoak's nomination, according to the poll, and 78% of Republicans said they would be "concerned" if their senator voted to confirm her. 

"Melissa Holyoak worked for an anti-Trump group and cozied up to Big Tech," a Trump ally familiar with the situation told Just the News. "GOP voters overwhelmingly reject her nomination, Senators should take note and block her from the FTC."

This poll was conducted Feb. 2, 2024, with 500 Republicans and it has a 4.4% margin of error.

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