If she gets past Senate confirmation hearings, McMahon will be 13th Secretary for Department of Education
By Amelia Lewin
On Tuesday Nov 19th, President-elect Donald Trump nominated billionaire, former WWE CEO, and co-lead on the presidential transition team, Linda McMahon, to head the national Department of Education (DOE).
This is just one of the significant and controversial nominations Trump has made since his election victory on Nov 6., among which include Tesla and X owner Elon Musk, famed TV personality Dr. Oz, and former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
McMahon’s nomination should be particularly examined however, as Trump has said he would be “sending all education and education work and needs back to the states,” in a social media video on Oct. 2023, effectively closing the DOE.
McMahon is best known for being the co-creator and Former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, better known as WWE. Though her reign was monumental as a leader in a male-dominated field, her and her ex-husband Vince McMahon’s legacies are tainted with scandal.
The ring boy scandal occurred in the 1980s, when announcer Mel Phillips was known to have been sexually abusing tween and teenage boys who assisted ring duties. He was initially fired due to the accusations, yet rehired only weeks later. The lawsuit is ongoing with multiple John Doe’s coming forward.
Also of note is McMahon’s political career. She was appointed to the Connecticut Board of Education in 2009, but left in 2010 in order to run for the Connecticut Senate seat under the Republican party. Losing that bid, she tried again in 2012, but failed to be elected as well.
Her history with the Presidential-elect Trump started in 2007 when he attended Wrestlemania. In 2016, McMahon donated $6 million to his first Presidential campaign. Upon his victory, she was appointed to lead the Small Business Administration. She chaired a Super PAC in support of his 2020 bid and advocated for his policy under the Biden Administration. She now helps lead the transition team, acting as a go-between for the current administration and the future one.