Trump chooses Longtime ally Linda McMahon to run 'Education Department'

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Linda McMahon, his transition co-chair, as the future Secretary of Education.

Trump revealed the decision Tuesday night, confirming CNN's earlier reports, after it became evident that McMahon would be passed over for Commerce secretary. Trump chose his other transition co-chair, Howard Lutnick, as his nominee to oversee the Commerce Department earlier Tuesday, after the Cantor Fitzgerald CEO put his name in the running for Treasury secretary, prompting a spat with hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.

Linda McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Mr. Trump's first term and is a former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment.

Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

"Linda will use her decades of leadership experience and profound understanding of both education and business to empower the next generation of American students and workers, propelling America to the top of the global education rankings. "We will bring education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will lead the way," Trump said in a statement.

McMahon, a big Republican fundraiser and former pro-wrestling mogul, led the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term. She was appointed in 2017 and resigned in 2019 to become the chair of America First Action, a Trump-supporting super PAC.

She is the board chair of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think organization founded in 2021 by McMahon, Larry Kudlow, and other officials from the first Trump administration.

Since its inception, AFPI has raised millions of dollars and has been dubbed a "White-House-in-waiting," outlining prospective policy suggestions for Trump's second term.

Trump's education secretary might be entrusted with managing the department's collapse, as the president-elect regularly advocated for its abolition throughout the campaign.

It would be tough to eliminate the whole agency, which distributes federal funds to virtually every public K-12 school in the country and oversees the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio. And shutting it down would need an act of Congress.

Some programs may be shifted to other government agencies. Many Republicans want to diminish the federal government's participation in local education, which may be accomplished by continuing to support programs while giving money to states and schools with less restrictions attached.

Under the incoming education secretary, the department may utilize the official regulation process to reverse improvements made by the Biden administration to Title IX that attempted to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ students. A new regulation may possibly state that Title IX prohibits transgender kids from participating on females' sports teams, something Trump campaigned on.

McMahon is also the former CEO of WWE, a company she co-founded with her husband, Vince McMahon. Linda McMahon oversaw the WWE's development from an insignificant wrestling entertainment company to a publicly listed media powerhouse. She stepped down as CEO in 2009.

McMahon ran for the United States Senate in Connecticut twice, but lost both times. She self-funded those campaigns, spending $50.1 million in 2010 and $48.7 million in 2012, according to Open Secrets, a group that monitors campaign finance. Trump contributed $5,000 to her campaign in 2012.

McMahon herself is a significant Republican donor. According to Open Secrets, during Trump's first presidential campaign, McMahon gave more than $7 million to two pro-Trump super PACs.