Shocking Move: Trump Taps WWE’s Linda McMahon as Education Secretary – Game Changer or Controversy?

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Linda McMahon, his transition co-chair and former administrator of the Small Business Administration, to serve as the next secretary of education.

By Sheenu Gupta On Nov 20, 2024 Share with new partner:

President-elect Donald Trump has officially announced his nomination for the next secretary of education, selecting Linda McMahon for the role. McMahon, who previously served as the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first administration, has also played a key role as co-chair of his transition team. With her extensive leadership experience, Trump’s decision signals his confidence in her ability to oversee the nation’s education system.

“As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand “Choice” to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.” Trump wrote on social media.

Trump’s Agenda47 policy platform places a strong emphasis on parental rights and increasing parental control over education. This aligns with the priorities of many conservatives, including figures like Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and advocacy groups such as Moms for Liberty. These groups argue that remote learning during the pandemic exposed public schools as promoting inappropriate content on topics like LGBTQ+ issues, race, and discrimination.

Linda McMahon, 76, who served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 during Trump’s first term, has been selected for a cabinet position in the upcoming administration. A loyal ally of Trump, she is the first member of his previous cabinet to be tapped for a new role.

Linda McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Together, the couple co-founded WWE in 1980, building it into a global entertainment powerhouse.

Linda McMahon, a prominent GOP donor who has contributed tens of millions of dollars to pro-Trump initiatives, currently serves as chair of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) board. In addition, she has prior experience in education, having spent two years on the Connecticut Board of Education.

However, some critics, like Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president of The Education Trust, have raised concerns about Trump’s decision to appoint close allies like McMahon to key positions. Pilar told ABC News that relying heavily on confidantes could foster groupthink, which might result in poor decision-making for the nation’s students.

“The danger in appointing loyalists is that you have a group of folks who all think the same, and they all think the way that the President-elect thinks,” Del Pilar said. “By appointing someone who will offer no resistance, it gets him [Trump] closer to his ultimate goal, which is to eliminate the Department of Education.”

While President-elect Donald Trump cannot immediately abolish the Department of Education without congressional approval, his Agenda47 platform makes it clear that dismantling the department is a priority for his administration. “We’re going to close it up,” Trump declared in a video released last year, adding, “All those buildings, all over the place, and you have people that, in many cases, hate our children. We’re going to send it all back to the States.”

However, education policy experts argue that shutting down the department on Inauguration Day would be highly unrealistic and disruptive. Neal McCluskey, an education analyst at the Cato Institute, told ABC News that the department was established through legislation and would require congressional action to dismantle. Experts also warn that eliminating the department could severely disrupt public education funding and disproportionately harm high-need students nationwide.

On the other hand, House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx contends that maintaining a federal Department of Education is not constitutionally required. She described Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick for education secretary, as a “fighter” who would work tirelessly to serve students.

National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle strongly criticized the nomination of Linda McMahon as education secretary. In a statement to ABC News, Pringle accused McMahon of aiming to dismantle the Department of Education and divert taxpayer dollars from public schools—where the majority of students, including 95% of those with disabilities, are educated—to private schools that lack accountability and may discriminate. She urged the Senate to reject McMahon’s nomination, calling her “Betsy DeVos 2.0” and asserting that students deserve far better.

Education experts warn that shutting down the Department of Education could jeopardize billions of dollars in funding, scholarships, and grants, leaving millions of K-12 and college students across the U.S. at risk. On the other hand, critics of the department argue that federal education spending has grown significantly since its creation—reaching $23 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, roughly 4% of government spending—while student performance in areas like reading and math has declined in recent years.