Donald Trump shocked the world by defeating Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, and he is now heading back to the White House after his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. Now, Trump has kept surprising us with some controversial picks for various high-level positions, including nominating controversial Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attorney General (Gaetz has since stepped down amid a wave of controversy regarding an ethics investigation).
Aside from Gaetz, Trump’s second most surprising decision has been nominating Linda McMahon for the role of Education Secretary. She has a famous name and has worked for Trump before, but most voters are unaware of who she is and how she ended up being hand-selected by the most powerful person in the world.
Just who is she and what would her appointment mean for the country? Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about Linda McMahon!
Linda McMahon got her start in wrestling
Even if you don’t know much about Linda McMahon, you’ve probably realized that her name sounds very familiar. There’s a reason for that: she is married to Vince McMahon, the famous wrestling mogul. The two of them formed World Wrestling Entertainment (the WWE), essentially kickstarting a worldwide wrestling craze that continues to this day.
Interestingly, the McMahons’ connections to Donald Trump begin with the world of wrestling. Back in 2007, Trump was the star of the hit reality show The Apprentice, and he decided to boost ratings in a very visceral way: by hopping into the ring and engaging in a feud with Vince McMahon that culminated in Trump shaving the other man’s head. It made for great entertainment, but what else would you expect from a Trump/McMahon collaboration?
RELATED: Donald Trump’s Most Embarrassing Television Appearances (So Far)
She’s had a rocky road into politics
Make no mistake: when it comes to wrestling, Linda McMahon has always been much more than Vince’s wife. She served as the WWE’s Chief Executive for many years, and she only stepped down in order to pursue a career in politics. However, her transition from her old life into this new one has been anything but smooth.
Aiming her sights very high, Linda McMahon tried to run for Senator of Connecticut twice, but she lost each time, first to Richard Blumenthal in 2010 and then again to Chris Murphy in 2012. After that, she decided to work more behind the scenes by providing funding for her chosen political candidates. This included providing Donald Trump with a cool $6 million after he officially became the Republican nominee for president in 2016.
An abandoned educational dream
Given Linda McMahon’s very unconventional career, many see her as an equally unconventional pick for the Secretary of Education. It’s the kind of pick that prompted a single question all across the land: “has she ever been a teacher before?” The short answer to that question is “no,” but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Back in 2009, McMahon received a one-year appointment to the Connecticut Board of Education. To lawmakers curious about her educational background, she revealed that she had grown up wanting to be a teacher but that she had to abandon this goal after getting married. We don’t doubt that this is true, but it’s worth noting that McMahon has made millions with the WWE, so she probably doesn’t regret missing out on being a low-paid teacher. At any rate, she followed up serving on the board with another educational experience: serving on the Sacred Heart University’s Board of Trustees.
Linda McMahon has worked for Donald Trump before
Earlier, we touched on the fact that the McMahons’ relationship with Trump goes back a long way, including Linda donating millions of dollars to his first election campaign. From the outside looking in, this seemed like a huge chunk of change to spend on a simple political donation. However, it didn’t take long before her donation paid off in a big way.
After he won the 2016 election, Donald Trump made Linda McMahon the head of the Small Business Administration. It was a major position with huge responsibilities, and McMahon acquitted herself well while serving. In fact, two of the people who praised her performance the most were the Democrats who had previously defeated her in Connecticut’s Senate elections: Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal.
RELATED: 7 Outrageous Claims About Donald Trump Made By His Niece
She has remained loyal to Trump ever since
It’s an open secret that many who worked with Donald Trump while he was president distanced themselves from him in subsequent years. That’s not true for Linda McMahon, though. She continued to donate money to him to help with his 2020 re-election campaign, and in 2024, she served as co-chair of his transition team.
Now, she’s on the cusp of leading the Education Department that Donald Trump has promised to close. It’s not clear how he will do that and what (if anything) will replace this powerful governmental organization. One thing’s for sure, though: whatever happens, Linda McMahon will be there to help Trump retain as much power and influence as possible.