Linda McMahon, Trump ally and wrestling magnate, named Education secretary

On Tuesday night, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to name Linda McMahon, former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), as the secretary of education in his next administration.

In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump recalled that McMahon, who founded WWE with her husband Vince McMahon in 1980, had already been part of Trump's first term serving as director of the Small Business Administration between 2017 and 2019.

"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," Trump said in the statement. "Linda served for two years on the Connecticut Board of Education, where she was one of fifteen members overseeing all Public Education in the State, including its Technical High School system."

Beyond her experience in the first Trump administration, one of McMahon's greatest professional accomplishments was her leadership within the WWE, which under her watch grew from a small wrestling entertainment company to a publicly traded media empire.

"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's statement concluded. "We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort."

McMahon, who had resigned as head of the Small Business Administration, said upon leaving office that it had been a great honor to serve America under Trump.

"While it has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve our country in this Administration, it is time for me to step down and return to the private sector," McMahon said in 2019. "I wish to thank the President and I will continue to be a strong advocate for him and his policies."

Since then, McMahon honored her pledge by becoming a strong Trump ally, taking on the chairmanship of the renowned America First Action - a pro-Trump super PAC - to currently becoming the co-chair of the president-elect's transition team.

In addition to chairing America First Action, McMahon is also chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank founded in 2021 by McMahon, Larry Kudlow and other former advisers to the Republican front-runner's first administration.

McMahon must now make her case before the soon-to-be Republican-majority Senate.