Linda McMahon: A look at the background of Trump’s pick for Education secretary
FILE-Linda McMahon, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, seen speaking during the American Conservative Union's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, MD. (P
Linda McMahon has been selected to serve as Education secretary in president-elect Donald Trump’s new administration.
McMahon previously served in Trump’s first administration and supported his presidential campaigns.
Here is a look at McMahon's background, from business to politics.
McMahon went from wrestling to politics
Linda McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, whose father was a prominent professional wrestling promoter. Linda and Vince followed his father into the business, founding their own company that's now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.
The Associated Press reported when Donald Trump was the star of the reality show "The Apprentice," he made an appearance at Wrestlemania in 2007.
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Linda McMahon stepped down from her position as WWE's chief executive to enter politics. She ran twice for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut but lost in 2010 to Richard Blumenthal and in 2012 to Chris Murphy.
According to the AP, Linda McMahon focused on offering financial assistance to candidates. She provided $6 million to help Trump's candidacy after he secured the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
Teaching was an initial career goal for McMahon
Linda McMahon served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009. She told legislators at the time that she had an interest in education and once planned to become a teacher, a goal that fell aside after her marriage.
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McMahon also spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. The AP noted that she is viewed as an unknown in the education industry, though she has expressed support for charter schools and school choice.
McMahon was part of Trump's first presidency
During his first term in the White House, Donald Trump chose Linda McMahon as leader of the Small Business Administration. According to the AP, the agency provides loans and disaster relief to companies and entrepreneurs, and it monitors government officials' compliance with contract laws.
Unlike other members of Trump's first administration, McMahon was not shadowed by scandal or controversy. She frequently touted his trade and tax policies.
"She has been a superstar," Trump said when she left the administration in 2019. "The fact is, I've known her for a long time. I knew she was good, but I didn't know she was that good."
McMahon kept supporting Trump after leaving the administration
Linda McMahon chaired America First Action, a super PAC that backed Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020. Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and McMahon helped start the America First Policy Institute to continue supporting Trump's agenda and prepare for a possible return to the White House.
When Trump ran for president in 2024, McMahon was the co-chair of his transition team along with Howard Lutnick, the chief executive of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald.
As part of that role, McMahon has worked to plan Trump's new administration. Once Trump returns to office, McMahon’s biggest task is potentially eliminating the agency she was hired to supervise.
The AP reported that Trump has pledged to close the Education Department and return much of its powers to states. He has not explained how he would close the agency, which was created by Congress in 1979 and would likely require action from Congress to dismantle.