Linda McMahon will once again serve as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
McMahon, who founded World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. alongside Vince McMahon in the 1980s before transitioning into the world of politics by the late 2000s, was confirmed for Secretary of Education by the U.S. Senate in a 51-45 vote on Monday evening. The vote confirms her for a role she was nominated to by Trump earlier this year.
McMahon will work in Trump’s cabinet for the second time, a testament to how she has remained an ally to the Republican leader for roughly a decade now. She served as Administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first run as President, holding the position from 2017 to 2019.
McMahon remained involved in right-wing politics after leaving the position. She served as a chairwoman for the America First Action Super PAC in 2020. She currently has a role in the America First Policy Institute, a Republican think tank closely tied to Trump’s agenda in his second run as the president.
Last month, McMahon came under scrutiny during a questioning period for the role. Some senators pushed back on her lack of experience for the role, arguing that her brief time on the Board of Education at Connecticut State wasn’t good enough credentials.
Others brought up an ongoing Ring Boy lawsuit that claims she, alongside Vince McMahon, had gross negligence while many former employees were allegedly sexually abused in the 1980s.
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McMahon will settle into a role overseeing the education department, which Trump has eyed making severe cuts to or even outright closing while in power.
Shortly after her nomination this year, Trump joked that McMahon was to put herself out of a job by the end of her time in the role. McMahon has mentioned that a goal of hers is to make the department more efficient.
Controversy certainly hasn’t stopped past nominations from getting through, either. Despite significant resistance against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming Secretary of Health and Human Services and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth from becoming the Secretary of Defense, both successfully survived confirmation votes earlier this year.
