The United States has long been the “land of opportunity.” That has been true since our founding and has remained true through various eras of political change and social upheaval.

But that opportunity has been weakened by the Biden administration’s aggressive antitrust enforcement, which has affected many industries over the past few years. Many in the business world hope President Donald Trump will end the practice. The recently announced merger between Honda and Nissan (and likely also including Mitsubishi) provides an important test case. (Related: Connie Mack IV: Biden Let America’s Enemies Run Wild in the Western Hemisphere. Now There’s a New Sheriff in Town)

Merger announcements always elicit a variety of reactions, from excitement about what the combined company will do to anxiety about possible job losses and facility closures. It is often said that successful companies rally around the goal of cornering markets and suppressing consumers.

But in this case, the driving forces included Nissan’s deteriorating performance and changes in the Chinese market that affected both Nissan and Honda. Business leaders strive to build companies that can weather such adversity, but no company is perfect, and often the best way to maintain the best parts of a company: its people, products, and procedures is This is a voluntary merger.

Essentially, a merger creates a larger company, regardless of the number of employees, revenue, or area served. But since the days of “Trust Busters,” Americans have been indoctrinated to believe that big business endangers our individual freedoms.

The Biden administration will follow this fallacy and encourage true believers like Lina Khan of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Merrick Garland of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to aggressively pursue companies seeking mergers. empowered. some you already have.

FTC led by Khan famously created It used its unique definition of the handbag market to disrupt the merger of luxury goods companies Michael Kors and Kate Spade.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department slayed an imaginary dragon to block a deal to combine low-cost airline Spirit Airlines with the more upscale JetBlue. After the Justice Department prevailed in court, Spirit Airlines declared bankruptcy. All the low-cost seats that Federal Judge William Young argued would be lost in the merger with JetBlue are at risk..

Over the past few years, a change of administration from a hawkish Democratic Party on antitrust enforcement has almost always meant a shift to a dovish Republican Party. Not this time.

Recently too In August 2024, current Vice President J.D. Vance praised Khan’s antitrust enforcement efforts against tech companies.Meanwhile, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley deadly He claims that large companies such as Visa and Mastercard have a “virtual monopoly.”

Every vote in the House and Senate matters, and consensus plays a key role, as the U.S. government becomes the main voice of the Republican Party against big business in an era of unified Republican government. There is great concern about what path to pursue in terms of law enforcement. For the next two years.

What does that mean for Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and the people who drive cars? The answer is unclear at this point, but allowing these companies to take the keys to this merger without conditions would mean that the U.S. This will greatly expand opportunities for While the merger will no doubt mean some dealership closures and reductions in existing model lines, neither will prevent Americans from finding the cars they want to drive at prices they can afford.

Antitrust hawks view all markets as closed markets, but this is not true and always has been. Americans can buy cars from Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Jaguar, Stellantis, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.

Many of these companies have brands that cater to different price points and driver needs. This incomplete list was published before considering electric car manufacturers such as Lucid, Rivian, and Tesla (major companies that did not exist at the beginning of this century). Notably, this list also excludes potential merger partners Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. Therefore, the entire American car market is an example of a famous car market. GM President Alfred Sloan’s declaration of “a car for every wallet and purpose.”

Even if all the companies mentioned here choose to join the industry-wide merger movement, the automaker roster will remain incredibly strong.

This is the essence of a free market that meets the needs of individuals and groups. That’s why the Trump administration should be eager to wave the checkered flag when this deal is reviewed.

Additionally, Honda and Nissan’s U.S. operations are largely non-union, so approving the deal would undermine the relationships with organized labor that Team Trump has built during the 2024 campaign. Never.

The quick approval of this merger should be followed by a similar one between US Steel and Nippon Steel, which was blocked by the Biden administration in its waning days. Doing so will send a positive signal to domestic and international investors that our industrial base is open to innovation and welcomes new capital.

Such capital is the lifeblood of American innovation and is essential to realizing the golden age that President Trump is seeking to usher in.

Will young drivers in 2030 aspire to a Honda Prelude built on the Nissan 350Z, just as new drivers in 1990 sought out early versions of those cars? No one knows.

But the best way to keep the American veins active in the trade industry would be for the government to allow the Honda-Nissan-Mitsubishi merger and leave it up to the American people to decide where that path will lead.

Phillip Bell is deputy director of the Parkview Institute’s Center for Transportation Advancement and host of the All Aboard podcast by All Things Trains.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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