WWE Co-Founder Linda McMahon Sworn In as Trump's Education Secretary, Sharing Her 'Final Mission' for Department

McMahon, 76, has been tasked with helping Trump's administration weaken the Department of Education, which was formed under President Jimmy Carter

WWE co-founder Linda McMahon has been sworn in as secretary of the Department of Education under President Donald Trump.

McMahon, 76, was confirmed by the Senate in a 51-45 vote along party lines on Monday, March 3.

She shared a statement on X following her confirmation, writing, "It's an honor to serve as the 13th Secretary of Education under President Trump. @POTUS pledged to make U.S. education the best in the world, return education to the states, and free students from bureaucracy through school choice. I intend to make good on those promises."

In a second statement, McMahon offered insight into how she will run the Department of Education, adding that it "will be focused on advancing educational freedom, not building up government run systems. We will empower states and districts to have more say in what is working on the ground for students, instead of bureaucratic edicts from Washington DC."

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The newly confirmed secretary also issued a speech about the Department of Education’s "final mission," given that Trump has long expressed his goal to shut the Jimmy Carter-era department down.

"The Department of Education’s role in this new era of accountability is to restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington," she said. "This restoration will profoundly impact staff, budgets, and agency operations here at the Department. In coming months, we will partner with Congress and other federal agencies to determine the best path forward to fulfill the expectations of the President and the American people."

McMahon added that she hopes to "overhaul" the department in a "last chance to restore the culture of liberty and excellence that made American education great."

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On Nov. 19, 2024, President Trump announced that he nominated McMahon for the role. She previously served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during the first half of his first term.

The president wrote in a statement that McMahon was doing an "incredible" job as transition team co-chair and teased that, if elected, her job will mainly consist of disbanding the very department she was brought on to serve. 

"As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families," Trump wrote, later adding, "We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort."

Related: What Is Project 2025? Inside the Far-Right Plan Threatening Everything from the Word 'Gender' to Public Education

Politico reported on Jan. 8 that the Department of Education was waiting on documents from the transition team to schedule McMahon’s confirmation hearing. 

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who also serves as chair of the Senate HELP Committee, explained that Cabinet nominees are required to submit documentation, including financial disclosures and conflict of interest forms, to the Office of Government Ethics prior to their confirmation. 

"It really depends on us getting paperwork," the Republican senator said of the timing of McMahon’s confirmation. "Right now the hold seems to be on their side."

Related: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Administration Blocks AP African American History Course from High Schools

McMahon continued to support Trump after his presidency. Her biography, per the institute, states that she is a private university trustee and former Connecticut State Board of Education member. She also describes herself as a "mother and grandmother who raised children who attended public and private schools throughout their lifetime."

McMahon's beliefs pertaining to education include prioritizing parental involvement and giving states and districts control. Much like others on Trump's team, she opposes teaching critical race theory and "radical gender ideology" in schools. 

Related: Ron DeSantis Defends New Florida Curriculum to Teach Slavery’s ‘Benefit,’ Says ‘Scholars’ Are Behind It

As for the future of the Department of Education, Trump criticized the agency during his presidential campaign for being "ineffective" and staffing employees who “hate our children.”

In July 2024, he proposed closing the department and to "cut federal funding for any school or program pushing critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children."

He also said he wants to "find and remove the radicals who have infiltrated the federal Department of Education," as well as "keep men out of women’s sports."

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McMahon was an executive at WWE, which she co-founded with her husband, Vince McMahon. She resigned from her position in 2009 for an unsuccessful run for one of Connecticut's U.S. Senate seats.

McMahon's nomination followed the announcement that Trump nominated TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It also comes after her transition team co-chair, Howard Lutnick, was selected as Trump's pick for commerce secretary.

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