Linda McMahon, co-chair of Donald Trump’s transition team, has been nominated to be Secretary of Education in his next administration.
In a statement, Trump praised the “incredible” work she did as co-chair of the transition team, saying: “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand Choice to every state in America, and empower parents to to make the best educational decisions for their families. … We will send education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will lead that effort.”
The nomination comes after McMahon’s transition team co-chair and billionaire founder of the Cantor Fitzgerald financial firm, Howard Lutnick, was appointed as Commerce Secretary.
McMahon was appointed chairman of the transition team in August after donating as much as $814,600 to Trump’s campaign in July. She previously served in Trump’s Cabinet during his first administration as administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.
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As of 2021, McMahon is chairman of the Washington DC-based think tank America First Policy Institute and chairman of the Center for the American Worker.
A former Senate candidate in Connecticut, McMahon is also the chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and former president of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which she co-founded with her husband, Vince McMahon.
In October, McMahon was named in a new lawsuit involving the WWE. The lawsuit alleges that they and other company leaders allowed the sexual abuse of young boys by a ringside announcer, former WWE ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr.. The complaint specifically alleges that the McMahons were aware of the abuse and failed to stop it.
An attorney for the McMahons told USA TODAY Sports that the allegations are “false claims” stemming from reporting that the couple finds “absurd, defamatory and completely meritless.”
