Trump Executive Order Targets Scalpers, Ticket Fees

President Donald Trump, flanked by Kid Rock, signed an executive order March 31 to bring what the administration calls “commonsense reforms” to live event ticketing.

The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ensure “ticket scalpers are operating in full compliance with the Internal Revenue Code.” Ostensibly, this would lead to the IRS take steps to make certain secondary sellers are reporting their ticket-related income for tax purposes.

The order also calls on the Federal Trade Commission “take appropriate action, including proposing regulations if necessary, to ensure price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process.” In fact, the FTC approved such a rule in December; it is set to take effect in mid-April. The FTC is also directed to combat anti-competitive and deceptive behavior by secondary sellers.

But it’s not just the secondary market in the EO’s sights: Trump’s order also calls on the AG and FTC to “ensure that competition laws are appropriately enforced in the concert and entertainment industry, including where venues, ticketing agents, or combinations thereof operate to the detriment of artists and fans” and to rigorously enforce the BOTS Act, which has only been enforced once since it became law eight years ago.

Bessent, Bondi and the FTC are directed to submit a report in six months on the steps taken in furtherance of the EO.

Contrary to other, more controversial executive orders issued by Trump in the first two and a half months of his return to the White House, the “Combating Unfair Practices In The Live Entertainment Market” EO is unlikely to face much pushback from his political opponents. Democrats and Republicans broadly agree on the need for ticketing reform — any policy differences are on the margins — and both scalpers and Ticketmaster are easy targets for politicians and bipartisan comity breaks out all over when the issue emerges on Capitol Hill.

Though the section of the order on competition laws being enforced against “venues, ticketing agents or combinations thereof” seems aimed squarely at Live Nation — the new administration hasn’t shown any signs of dropping the antitrust case brought during the Biden years — the company issued a statement in support of the EO.

“Scalpers and bots prevent fans from getting tickets at the prices artists set, and we thank President Trump for taking them head-on. We support any meaningful resale reforms — including more enforcement of the BOTS Act, caps on resale prices, and more,” a spokesperson for Live Nation Entertainment said.

The National Independent Venue Association also backed the order, though its statement does note the nod to LN in the text.

“We applaud President Trump’s Executive Order to protect fans from ticket scalping by individuals and companies built to fleece American consumers. We are also encouraged to see the order’s aim to remedy anti-competitive actions by large corporations. These actions will help address the two problems jeopardizing the well-being of artists, independent stages, and fans: a predatory, unchecked resale market where bots and deceptive practices price gouge fans and the Live Nation monopoly that forces small businesses to shut their doors,” NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker said.