WASHINGTON (AFP/AGENCIES) – US President-elect Donald Trump has named former wrestling executive Linda McMahon as his pick to head the Department of Education, which he wants to abolish.
Describing McMahon, the former president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), as a “fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights,” Trump vowed in a statement: “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.”
Trump praised McMahon’s leadership background and expertise in both education and business, stating, “Linda will leverage her extensive experience to empower American students and workers, making the United States a leader in global education.”
McMahon previously served as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) during Trump’s first term, from 2017 until her resignation in 2019. She left to chair America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC, and currently serves as the board chair of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a think tank formed by Trump allies in 2021 to draft potential policies for a second Trump administration.
As the former CEO of WWE, which she co-founded with her husband Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon played a pivotal role in growing the company from a small entertainment outfit into a major publicly traded entity. She stepped down as CEO in 2009.
McMahon also ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012, self-funding her campaigns with a combined USD98.8 million, according to Open Secrets, a campaign finance watchdog. Trump himself contributed USD5,000 to her 2012 campaign. Additionally, McMahon has been a significant Republican donor, supporting Trump’s initial presidential bid with considerable contributions.
