Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Education secretary, a role that could put her at the forefront of divisive cultural debates over parents’ rights, transgender athletes, school choice and the limits of free speech on college campuses.
“Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World,’’ Trump said in a statement announcing her nomination Tuesday night.
McMahon, who served on the Connecticut State Board of Education for a little over a year, has long been one of Trump’s most trusted lieutenants: She is the co-chair of his transition team and has raised millions of dollars for his campaign as chair of the Super PAC America First Action. During his first term, she ran the Small Business Administration.
During the campaign, Trump advocated for a conservative education agenda, vowing to cut funding for schools that teach critical race theory or “radical gender ideology,” to deport “pro-Hamas radicals” who participate in campus protests and to “keep men out of women’s sports.”
He also promised to shut down the department, a move many experts say would be difficult if not impossible.
“We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort,’’ Trump said in his announcement.
McMahon is chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute, which advocates for school choice and the use of public funds — through vouchers and tax credits — for private educational institutions. “Linda has been a fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights…to achieve Universal School Choice in 12 States, giving children the opportunity to receive an excellent Education, regardless of zip code or income,’’ Trump said.
The Department of Education does not set curriculum standards; that’s done at the state and local levels. However, it administers more than $18 billion in Title 1 grants, which help fund the nation’s neediest school districts, oversees the federal student loan program and enforces civil rights laws in schools that receive federal funding.
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, slammed Trump’s pick.
“By selecting Linda McMahon, Donald Trump is showing that he could not care less about our students’ futures. Rather than working to strengthen public schools, expand learning opportunities for students, and support educators, [McMahon’s] only mission is to eliminate the Department of Education and take away taxpayer dollars from public schools,’’ Pringle said in a statement.
McMahon and her husband Vince McMahon built WWE into a global entertainment empire and accumulated vast wealth. Last month, the couple was named in a lawsuit brought on behalf of five former WWE “ring boys,” who allege the McMahons knowingly permitted a former ringside announcer to use his position to sexually exploit children as young as 12 and 13 years old.
An attorney representing Vince McMahon said in a statement to The Associated Press that they were “confident the court will find that these claims are untrue and unfounded.” (The Justice Department is also investigating Vince McMahon, according to the attorney for a woman who has filed a lawsuit against him alleging sexual misconduct. Vince McMahon resigned from the company in January, after the lawsuit was filed, and denies the allegations.)
Unlike current Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, McMahon is not an educator or school administrator. In 2009, she was appointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, and currently serves on the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University, a private college in Fairfield, Conn.
“She’s a very smart lady,” Rell said. “She’s a very good businesswoman…[and] a no-nonsense person.”
McMahon left her position at WWE in 2009 to run for Senate in Connecticut. She spent $50 million but lost in 2010 to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal. In 2012, she ran again, also spending close to $50 million, and lost to Democratic Sen. Christopher S. Murphy.
McMahon’s connection with Trump goes back decades. She and Vince McMahon gave $5 million to the Donald J. Trump Foundation during a period of time when Trump made several appearances on WWE programming. Trump is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.
Niels Lesniewski contributed to this report.
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