Former WWE CEO and Small Business Administrator Takes On Education Department Role Amid Calls to Abolish the Agency
In a move signaling a major shift in education policy, President-elect Donald Trump has selected Linda McMahon to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Education, a position that could prove pivotal given his administration’s controversial stance on the agency. McMahon, who previously led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term and co-founded World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), is tasked with overseeing the nation’s education system at a time when Trump has vowed to diminish federal control over schools.
McMahon, 76, brings a wealth of leadership experience to the role. As the former CEO of WWE and the head of the Small Business Administration, she has built a reputation for advocacy and reform, particularly in business and education. In his announcement, Trump emphasized McMahon’s “decades of leadership experience” and her commitment to reshaping education to make the United States a global leader in this field.
“Linda will use her decades of leadership experience and deep understanding of both education and business to empower the next generation of American students and workers and make America Number One in Education in the World,” Trump said, underlining his vision for a more decentralized, state-led education system.
A core component of McMahon’s agenda will be to expand “school choice” initiatives, giving parents more control over their children’s education, including access to charter schools, private schools, and other alternatives. Trump has consistently advocated for expanding school choice nationwide, believing that it will provide students with better educational opportunities while reducing federal oversight.
McMahon’s appointment also underscores Trump’s ongoing push for education policy reform that aligns with his broader conservative agenda. During the campaign, Trump denounced “wokeness” in public education and vowed to eliminate what he considered “left-wing indoctrination” from classrooms. He has expressed intentions to cut federal funding for schools promoting critical race theory, gender ideologies, and other forms of “inappropriate” content.
“We will send education BACK TO THE STATES, and LINDA will spearhead that effort,” Trump stated, reinforcing his stance that states should play a larger role in education policy and funding decisions.
McMahon is no stranger to education. She served for two years on the Connecticut Board of Education and spent over 16 years as a trustee at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Her leadership on educational boards aligns with Trump’s desire to empower local communities to shape their educational systems, with less influence from Washington.
While Trump has championed McMahon as a “fierce advocate for parents’ rights,” her new role could face significant scrutiny. The president-elect has repeatedly suggested that the Department of Education, which he describes as bloated and ineffective, should be abolished entirely. His appointment of McMahon to head the department could be seen as a step toward dismantling it, as McMahon has expressed a preference for reducing the federal government’s role in education.
The announcement also comes as other prominent figures in Trump’s circle, including entrepreneur Elon Musk and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, have supported calls to abolish the Department of Education altogether. In line with these positions, Trump has threatened to impose severe penalties on universities that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives or offer curricula he deems politically charged.
As McMahon prepares to take on this role, it remains clear that her leadership will be a key part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the U.S. education system in ways that reflect his broader political philosophy—one that aims to limit federal intervention and give more power to states and parents in shaping the future of American education.
With a wealth of experience and a strong ideological alignment with the president-elect’s views, Linda McMahon’s appointment to the Department of Education promises to be a defining moment in Trump’s second term, particularly as the debate over federal versus state control in education continues to heat up.
