Trump names Linda McMahon as his pick for Education secretary

Source: CNN Politics

Updated 3:37 AM EST, Wed November 20, 2024


CNN — President-elect Donald Trump has named his transition co-chair Linda McMahon as his pick to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Education.

The decision, which Trump announced Tuesday night confirming CNN’s earlier reporting, took shape after it became clear that McMahon would be passed over for Commerce secretary. Trump named his other transition co-chair, Howard Lutnick, as his pick to lead the Commerce Department earlier Tuesday after the Cantor Fitzgerald CEO had thrown his name into the mix for Treasury secretary, sparking a battle with hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.

“Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World. We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort,” Trump said in a statement.

McMahon, a major Republican donor and a former pro-wrestling executive, served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She was appointed in 2017 and resigned in 2019 to become the chair of America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC. She is the board chair of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank that was formed in 2021 by McMahon, Larry Kudlow and other advisers from the first Trump administration.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/19/politics/linda-mcmahon-education-secretary-trump/index.html