Trump picks Linda McMahon, former wrestling executive, to head Department of Education

President-elect Donald Trump introduced Tuesday night time that he has picked Linda McMahon, the previous wrestling government, to go the Division of Training, an company he vowed to dismantle throughout his White Home marketing campaign. 

“We are going to ship training again to the states, and Linda will spearhead that effort,” Trump mentioned Tuesday in a press release. 

McMahon led the Small Enterprise Administration throughout Trump’s first time period, stepping down in 2019 to assist along with his 2020 reelection marketing campaign. 

She can be presently a co-chair of Trump’s transition staff, together with Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and funding financial institution Cantor Fitzgerald. Trump introduced on Tuesday he picked Lutnick to be his commerce secretary.

McMahon and her husband, wrestling leisure magnate Vince McMahon — who cofounded the WWE and led it for many years earlier than leaving the company in January following allegations of sexual misconduct — have been friends of Trump for over 20 years and are amongst his most prolific donors. 

McMahon has no expertise as an educator, though Trump in his assertion cited her time serving on the Connecticut Board of Training from 2009 to 2010 — in addition to her time as a member of the board of trustees for Connecticut’s Sacred Coronary heart College — and acknowledged that McMahon has a “deep understanding of each training and enterprise.” 

Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to shut down the Division of Training, complaining that the company’s funds is simply too massive and that its employees is crammed with “those that in lots of instances hate our youngsters.”  

One of many smallest federal businesses, the Division of Training is liable for the distribution of federal financial aid for training, accumulating and disseminating knowledge and analysis associated to colleges, and prohibiting discrimination in faculties. 

Its funds account for lower than 10% of the nation’s public college funding, which is primarily pushed by state and native taxes.

contributed to this report.

Fin Gómez

Fin Gómez is the political director for CBS News. Fin oversees the day-to-day political protection for CBS News. He has lined 5 presidential political cycles and a number of presidential campaigns. He was previously a member of the CBS White Home unit.