Trump nominates ex-WWE CEO Linda McMahon as Education Secretary

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
20 Nov 2024 11:53

McMahon currently serves as co-chair of Trump’s transition team as he prepares for his anticipated return to the White House in January.

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Former administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon speaks during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024. (AFP)

Donald Trump has announced the nomination of Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to lead the Department of Education—a federal agency he has pledged to dismantle.

In a statement on Tuesday, Trump described McMahon as a "fierce advocate for Parents' Rights" and emphasized, "We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort."

McMahon currently serves as co-chair of Trump’s transition team as he prepares for his anticipated return to the White House in January. The team is responsible for appointing candidates to approximately 4,000 government positions.

Trump highlighted McMahon's educational credentials, including her two years on the Connecticut Board of Education and 16 years on the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University, a private Catholic institution.

McMahon left WWE in 2009 to launch unsuccessful campaigns for the US Senate, but has since become a prominent donor to Trump. Since 2021, she has chaired the Center for the American Worker at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute.

Trump to 'eliminate' Department of Education

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to eliminate the federal Department of Education.

"I say it all the time. I’m dying to get back to do this. We will ultimately eliminate the federal Department of Education," he stated at a rally in Wisconsin in September.

McMahon, speaking at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, said she was "privileged to call Donald Trump a colleague and a boss," as well as "a friend."

She recalled first meeting Trump during her time as WWE’s chief executive.

In 2017, during the first Trump administration, McMahon was confirmed as the head of the Small Business Administration, where she oversaw initiatives supporting millions of small businesses, which employ nearly half of the US private-sector workforce.

Trump cited her business acumen, particularly her role in growing WWE, as a key factor in her nomination.

After stepping down from the administration, McMahon chaired the pro-Trump America First Action SuperPAC, further solidifying her ties to Trump’s political agenda.