On Monday (March 31), President Donald Trump signed an executive order that was created to prohibit “exploitative ticket scalping” and introduce reforms to the way tickets are sold for events.
President Donald Trump was joined by musician Kid Rock in the Oval Office, who wore a white straw fedora and a red tracksuit with bedazzled elements such as an eagle’s wings, stars, and the number “250” to mark the country’s 250th anniversary next year.
“I didn’t know too much about it, but I checked it out, and this is a big problem,” Trump said to reporters gathered for the signing.
The executive order aims to cut “price-gouging by middlemen,” directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ensure that those selling tickets at resale prices higher than face value comply by fulfilling rules set by the Internal Revenue Service. The order also dictates that the Federal Trade Commission work with the Attorney General’s office to make sure competition laws are enforced and that there is “price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process.”
Live Nation stated support for the order and other reforms, including a strengthening of the Bots Act from 2016, which cracked down on scalpers using bots to buy tickets and resell them at a higher price. “Scalpers and bots prevent fans from getting tickets at the prices artists set, and we thank President Trump for taking them head-on,” the statement read. Under the Biden administration, the parent company of Ticketmaster was sued by the Department of Justice in 2024 for running an illegal monopoly over live events.
“Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the last decade, maybe 20 years — no matter what your politics are — knows that it’s a conundrum,” the “Cowboy” singer, also known as Robert James Ritchie, said, adding: “It’s kind of ridiculous. I would rather be, you know, a hero to working-class people and have them be able to come attend my shows and give them a fair ticket price. I can’t control that right now so hopefully this is a step to make that happen.”
Trump hurriedly signed the order after taking questions and handed it off to Kid Rock to display, adding, “You better do well with this.”
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Photo: Getty
Kid Rock Joins Trump For Ticket Scalping Executive Order
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