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Trump nominates Linda McMahon as Education Secretary, focusing on reducing federal control in education
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen his transition co-chair, Linda McMahon, as his choice for Secretary of Education. The pick was made public Tuesday evening, following a previous instance in which McMahon was passed over for Commerce Secretary, an appointment that went to another transition co-chair: Howard Lutnick.
One of the most prominent Republican donors and former WWE executive, McMahon, has a background in business and public service. She served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) under Trump from 2017 to 2019. After her stint at the SBA, she chaired the America First Action super PAC, which supported Trump's re-election campaign, and later co-founded the America First Policy Institute, a think tank shaping policy for Trump's second term.
Trump said he trusts McMahon, with her decades in business as well as education, to be leading the department. "Linda will harness her deep knowledge of and experience in both education and business to empower America's next generation of students and workers," he added, underlining her responsibilities toward returning control of education back to states.
McMahon’s nomination signals a shift toward reducing the federal government’s role in local education, a key theme of Republican education policy. While eliminating the Department of Education entirely is unlikely without Congressional approval, McMahon could lead efforts to streamline federal programs, possibly directing funding to states with fewer federal mandates.
Her appointment also comes at a time when there have been debates about Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students. McMahon could work to dismantle moves made under the Biden administration, especially regarding transgender athletes being allowed to compete in women's sports-a topic Trump campaigned on.
Before she entered politics, McMahon played a role in transforming WWE from a niche wrestling company into a global media empire, which she led as CEO until 2009. McMahon has also campaigned unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut, where she's spent millions of her own dollars on two campaigns in 2010 and 2012.
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