Where Does Linda McMahon, Trump’s Education Secretary Nominee, Stand on Key Issues?

USA Today

Zachary Schermele

December 2, 2024

WASHINGTON – When President-elect Donald Trump tapped Linda McMahon to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, he said she had a “deep understanding” of both education and business.

Yet like Trump’s previous education secretary, Betsy DeVos, McMahon has relatively limited experience working with the American school system. She hasn’t worked full-time in a K-12 school or university. She spent most of her career as an executive at a wrestling entertainment company.

She did serve a brief stint on Connecticut’s state education board and is a longtime member of the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University, a private college in Connecticut. She originally planned to become a teacher but changed her mind after meeting her husband in college, according to her remarks to a state legislative committee over a decade ago. She also has experience leading an important federal agency: She was the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.

With Republicans in control of the U.S. Senate, which is in charge of confirming presidential Cabinet appointments, McMahon will likely land the top job setting policy for the nation’s schools.

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