The Senate confirmed Linda McMahon as the education secretary, despite her limited experience in education and her alignment with President Trump’s intent to eliminate the Education Department. Critics argue her background—including a controversial wrestling company—makes her ill-prepared for the role. While McMahon claims support for abolishing the department, public opposition remains significant, with polls showing nearly two-thirds of Americans against the idea. Despite promising to retain key programs, she acknowledged that dismantling the agency would require congressional approval. McMahon previously headed the Small Business Administration and remains a major supporter of Trump, contributing significantly to his campaign.
On Monday, the Senate confirmed Linda McMahon as the new education secretary, voting strictly along party lines. The former professional wrestling executive now heads an agency that the Trump administration seeks to dismantle.
As a wealthy Republican benefactor and former Trump administration appointee, Ms. McMahon has minimal experience in the education sector. Supporters in the White House view this inexperience as beneficial, aligning with their goal to eliminate the department she is set to lead, while her critics call it a significant shortcoming.
Ms. McMahon, 76, expressed to legislators her complete agreement with President Trump’s aim to dissolve the Education Department. She maintained during her hearing last month that a majority of Americans echoed this sentiment, and she was prepared to facilitate this change.
However, substantial public resistance to the idea of disbanding the Education Department appears to exist.
According to a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the agency’s elimination. In North Carolina, a critical battleground state that Trump won in November, a similar proportion (63 percent) also indicated they were against abolishing the department, as reported by a Meredith College poll last month.
The Education Department has become a prime target in the aggressive overhaul initiative led by Elon Musk, a prominent Trump adviser and the world’s richest individual. Over 60 employees have been suspended in the wake of the administration’s crackdown on diversity initiatives, and discussions have been held about issuing an executive order that could essentially disband the department.
On Friday, employees of the Education Department were offered a “one-time deal” of up to $25,000 to voluntarily retire or resign by the end of the day on Monday. Jacqueline Clay, the chief human capital officer of the department, communicated that this offer was made ahead of what would be “a very significant reduction in force.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and the leading Democrat on the Senate Education Committee, asserted that the department delivers “immensely valuable resources” to children in low-income school districts and those with disabilities.
“We must prioritize strengthening and improving the Department of Education rather than dismantling it as proposed by Trump,” Mr. Sanders emphasized in a statement.
Although Ms. McMahon holds a teaching certificate, she has never actually taught. She has been on the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University, a private institution in Connecticut with roughly 8,500 students, for around 16 years. Together with her estranged husband, Vince McMahon, she has contributed millions to the Catholic university, where the student commons is named after her.
Ms. McMahon also spent about a year on the Connecticut Board of Education, despite some state legislators expressing doubts about her qualifications for the role, citing her history of running a wrestling company known for promoting violent and sexual imagery to children.
Her nomination to lead the Education Department has rekindled worries about her preparedness, with detractors arguing she may struggle to manage the implications of Trump’s politically charged policies on the nation’s educational landscape.
Last month, Mr. Trump characterized the Education Department as “a big con job” and expressed his desire to “close it immediately.” Meanwhile, Mr. Musk has revealed that the administration has canceled 89 contracts worth $881 million at the agency.
During her confirmation hearing, Ms. McMahon suggested a more measured approach regarding potential changes. She mentioned the administration’s intention to “reorient” the department while acknowledging that several of the agency’s major programs would remain intact. Core initiatives, including Title I funding for low-income schools and Pell grants for the most economically disadvantaged college students, would not face elimination, according to her statements.
She also recognized that congressional action would be necessary for the department’s abolition, which was established in 1979 to promote equal access to education, assist parents and local communities in enhancing educational quality, and coordinate federal educational initiatives.
During Trump’s first term, Ms. McMahon led the Small Business Administration until resigning in 2019 to manage a super PAC in support of Trump. This super PAC, America First Action, invested approximately $150 million ahead of Trump’s defeat in 2020.
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Ms. McMahon emerged as one of the largest financial backers of Trump’s campaign.