President-elect Donald Trump made a surprise announcement Tuesday evening, revealing his intention to appoint Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), as the next Secretary of Education. The announcement, shared via Truth Social, comes just hours after sources informed Fox News that McMahon was being considered for the role.
"It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education," Trump wrote in his statement. "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."
McMahon, who served as SBA administrator from 2017 to 2019 under President Trump, brings a wealth of experience in both business and leadership. Trump praised McMahon’s track record, stating that she will work to empower the next generation of American students and workers. He emphasized that her efforts would focus on returning education control to individual states.
"Linda served for two years on the Connecticut Board of Education, where she was one of fifteen members overseeing all Public Education in the State, including its Technical High School system," Trump added in his announcement. "Linda will use her decades of leadership experience and deep understanding of both education and business to make America number one in education in the world."
McMahon's appointment follows a career marked by her work in the private sector and government. She and her husband, Vince McMahon, co-founded WWE in 1980, and Linda McMahon later transitioned into politics, serving as a key ally of President Trump. She also made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut in 2010.
In her resignation letter from the Small Business Administration in 2019, McMahon described her tenure as "immensely rewarding" but expressed a desire to return to the private sector. "While it has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve our country in this Administration, it is time for me to step down," McMahon wrote, adding that she would continue to advocate for Trump and his policies.
Trump's selection of McMahon as Secretary of Education comes amidst ongoing discussions about the future of the Department of Education. The agency, established in 1980, is tasked with promoting student achievement and ensuring equal access to education across the United States. However, President Trump has previously suggested that the department could be dissolved or significantly restructured.
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a key ally of Trump, recently criticized the department, claiming it had failed to close achievement gaps in American education. In an interview with Fox News, DeVos argued that the department has "only widened" those gaps and advised Trump to "take the power away" from it. She suggested a shift to block-granting education funds and decentralizing decision-making, so local authorities could make better decisions for students.
"Get it down to a much more local level where better decisions are made on behalf of students," DeVos said. "The bureaucrats at the Department of Education aren’t doing the job. They haven't done the job for more than four decades."
McMahon’s nomination, expected to undergo Senate confirmation, signals a continued push from the incoming Trump administration to reshape the nation's education system, prioritizing school choice and local control over federal oversight. If confirmed, McMahon would take on a critical role in the ongoing debate over the future of public education in America.
