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Linda McMahon is known for her many years in the wrestling world. Though her education experience is more limited than previous secretaries, she has embraced both conservative and bipartisan ideas.
- Nov. 20, 2024Updated 2:59 p.m. ET
Linda McMahon, who is President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for education secretary, has a slimmer educational résumé than has been typical of candidates for the position.
She became certified as a French teacher in college, but she married young and did not end up in the classroom. She has served for 16 years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, where a student center is named for her. She also spent just over a year on the Connecticut State Board of Education, before resigning in 2010 to run as a Republican for a Senate seat.
As a political force, however, she has been a “fierce advocate” for transforming the nation’s educational system in a way that Mr. Trump supports, he said when announcing her selection.
Chief among those policies is school choice, meaning that some money that would normally flow to public schools will instead go to families, who can spend it on private education. This was a major push under Mr. Trump’s previous education secretary, Betsy DeVos. Since then, more states have instituted this policy through taxpayer-funded voucher programs.
“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,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump also said Ms. McMahon’s business experience, including as the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, would help her spearhead an effort to “send Education back to the states” — a reference to one of his key education campaign pledges: to reduce or eliminate the federal Department of Education.
