Donald Trump Nominates WWE Co-founder Linda McMahon for Education Secretary.
Donald Trump has selected Linda McMahon, co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), as his nominee for education secretary.
A long-time ally, McMahon previously served as the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term and contributed millions to his presidential campaigns.
She also holds the position of board chair at the pro-Trump think tank, the America First Policy Institute. This affiliation suggests that her confirmation in the Republican-majority Senate is highly likely.
McMahon co-founded WWE with her husband in 1980 and served as its CEO until 2009 when she resigned to run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. Despite her limited experience in education, she served briefly on Connecticut’s state board of education from 2009 to 2010.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump expressed confidence in McMahon’s ability to leverage her leadership experience to enhance American education and workforce development.
He indicated she would work to return control of education to individual states, aligning with his pledge to dismantle the Department of Education.
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McMahon has been described as an advocate for parental rights and educational choice, with Trump emphasizing her role in empowering parents to make educational decisions for their families.
Challenges and Controversies
McMahon’s nomination comes amidst ongoing scrutiny. She was named in a lawsuit involving WWE, alleging that company leaders permitted abuse of young boys by a deceased ringside announcer. Her lawyer has dismissed these claims as defamatory and baseless.
McMahon’s selection follows Trump’s broader trend of appointing loyal supporters to prominent cabinet roles. Alongside her appointment, Trump announced Mehmet Oz as the nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary.
Trump Selects Dr. Mehmet Oz to Head Medicaid
Trump has nominated Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity TV doctor, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees healthcare for over 150 million Americans.
Oz, trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon, gained fame through appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and his own program, The Dr. Oz Show. However, his career has been marred by criticism over promoting unproven medical treatments and pseudoscientific remedies.
In 2014 Senate hearings, Oz was criticized for endorsing dietary supplements that lacked scientific backing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he suggested the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which experts dismissed as ineffective against the virus. Despite these controversies, Trump described Oz as uniquely qualified to improve American healthcare.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a key agency regulating U.S. healthcare, with an annual budget exceeding $1.4 trillion. Oz has been tasked with reducing waste, fraud, and inefficiencies.
Trump’s team emphasized Oz’s role in increasing transparency, competition, and access to affordable healthcare. Oz is expected to collaborate with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee for Health Secretary, to tackle chronic diseases and reform the healthcare system.
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Oz trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon, working at Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University in New York. While his medical credentials are strong, his promotion of alternative medicine has sparked debate about his suitability for the role. His confirmation will require Senate approval.
These nominations underscore Trump’s strategy of appointing high-profile figures with varying levels of experience in their respective fields to advance his administration’s policy goals.
Donald Trump Nominates WWE Co-founder Linda McMahon for Education Secretary.
