The Trump administration last month decided to drop out of the case that began during the Biden era. The US blindsided states by announcing a settlement with Live Nation during the trial, forcing states to take over the lead role.
“The Trump administration gave up the fight and wanted to let these companies off the hook easily,” Arizona AG Kris Mayes said today. “But we kept fighting for every Arizonan who has been charged too much by this illegal monopoly and we won.”
The Trump administration agreed to stop pursuing a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster as part of the settlement. The terms reportedly included changes to business practices and civil penalties of up to $280 million for states that opted to join the settlement. But only six states joined the deal, and they will reportedly receive a total of $18.6 million.
Ex-Trump official congratulates state AGs
States that joined the Trump administration’s settlement are Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. The litigation against Live Nation was continued by the District of Columbia and 33 states: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Connecticut, New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Gail Slater, a former assistant attorney general who led the US Justice Department’s antitrust division from March 2025 to February 2026, congratulated states on the win. Slater was a Trump nominee who seemed to want tougher antitrust enforcement, but resigned after less than a year. News reports said she was forced to leave after disputes with key Trump officials.