Linda McMahon’s background — both in education and in World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. also as the co-founder of the sports entertainment company — has been under scrutiny since his appointment by President-elect Donald Trump. choose to run the Department of Education on tuesday
McMahon is a longtime Trump ally, serving as his transition chairman and former head of the US Small Business Administration.
Although he is primarily known for founding and running WWE, he has also worked extensively in education, beginning with his appointment to the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009.
At his confirmation hearing in 2009, he said that education was his passion and that his work as CEO of WWE taught him “directly the skills that Connecticut students need to acquire through education to succeed.”
Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Administration, on March 29, 2019, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
He said WWE’s youth-oriented programs — such as the GET REAL Program, which brought WWE stars into schools to teach students messages about “Respect, Education, Achievement and Leadership” — were examples of his past educational efforts.
However, McMahon wrote on his board application that he had a bachelor’s degree in education, although his degree from East Carolina University was in French, he said. local reports of that time His spokesman at the time called it an “honest mistake” in the Connecticut Post.
Regardless, McMahon left his position on the Connecticut State Board of Education — and as CEO of WWE — shortly thereafter in 2010 to run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.
On his 2010 campaign website, he declared his support for “charter school competition and choice” and “secondary education reform,” a stance that is reflected in his views today.
“I believe in local control. I am an advocate for choice through charter schools,” his campaign website stated at the time.
He lost that race, as well as his second attempt in 2012.
Other forays into education included serving on the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University. He was on the board from January 2004 to February 2017. He returned after serving in Trumps first administration in 2021.
McMahon also founded the conservative research group America First Policy Institute in April 2021, whose mission it says is “to provide robust research and carefully crafted policy recommendations to advance the America First agenda,” according to a press release.
During that time, McMahon made sure to expand Pell Grant access to short-term workforce training programs.
“The country is facing a historic labor shortage, and a multi-year degree program is not necessary for many Americans to pursue high-paying, fulfilling careers,” McMahon said.
While announcing his pick for education secretary, Trump said McMahon will “continually fight to expand ‘Choice’ to every state in America.”
The National Education Association criticized the appointment, arguing that its “sole mission is to gut the Department of Education and take taxpayer dollars away from public schools, where 90 percent of students — and 95 percent of students with disabilities — attend, and give them to unaccountable private schools.” and discriminators”.
According to his Agenda47 policy platform, Trump’s top education priorities include eliminating the Department of Education. They also include expanding school voucher programs and giving parents more power in the classroom.
Linda McMahon speaks during the final day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024.
Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
School “choice” has been a key driver of conservative education policy in recent years, with the goal of expanding “education savings” policies that allow families to divert public school funding to private schools or homeschooling.
Arizona was the first in the country to pass such a program in 2011, and at least eight other states have followed suit: Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah and West Virginia.
However, voters in three states — Nebraska, Kentucky and Colorado — rejected efforts to codify or expand such programs.
As head of the Department of Education, McMahon would oversee federal policies affecting millions of US students
The field reaches beyond curricula. For example, the department investigates the IX.
At the same time, McMahon’s appointment comes as she and her husband Vince, co-founders of WWE, are being accused of creating a culture of tolerating and encouraging the alleged sexual abuse of underage ring boys.
“Linda McMahon was on top form as Vince’s wife, confidant, co-leader in running the business and a leader in trying to hide the sordid underbelly of WWE’s sexually abusive culture,” he said. current issue.
ABC News reached out to Trump and McMahon’s teams for comment.
“This civil lawsuit based on more than thirty years of allegations is full of lies, exaggerations and misrepresentations,” McMahon’s attorney said in a statement to ABC News. “At that time the company’s lawyer and the FBI investigated the matter, and they found no reason to continue with the investigation.”
“Ms. McMahon will defend herself vigorously against this baseless lawsuit and will undoubtedly be ultimately successful,” the statement continued.
On Wednesday, McMahon accepted the president-elect’s nomination and said he is “hopeful” of Senate confirmation, which is a requirement for the role. In a message from X.
McMahon wrote, “I look forward to working with students — educators — parents and communities to strengthen our education system; to ensure that every child regardless of their demographics is prepared for a bright future.”
He added: “Thank you for this unique opportunity. I am ready to serve!”
T. Michelle Murphy contributed to this report.
