President Trump signs executive order targeting ticket scalpers

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that targets sellers of live entertainment tickets priced above face value.

The order instructs the Attorney General, the FTC, and the Treasury Department to enforce competition laws, crack down on scalpers using bots to purchase tickets, ensure price transparency, and prevent deceptive ticketing practices.

The Trump administration says that the live entertainment industry contributes $132.6 billion to the economy and supports 913,000 jobs. However, the administration claims that ticket scalpers exploit the system by reselling tickets at extreme markups, sometimes up to 70 times the face value.

The order calls for more vigorous enforcement of the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which has rarely been enforced since its passage.

The executive order aligns with Trump's broader attempts to lower American consumers' costs, including actions on congestion pricing, healthcare transparency, and cost-of-living relief. Kid Rock was with Trump in the Oval Office when the order was signed.