Linda McMahon
United States Secretary of Education From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Linda Marie McMahon (née Edwards; born October 4, 1948) is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician who has been the 13th United States Secretary of Education since 2025.[1] She was the 25th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from February 14, 2017 to April 12, 2019. McMahon was active with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, known as the World Wrestling Federation, short WWF, until 2002) from 1980 to 2009. She is married to WWE businessman Vince McMahon.
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In November 2024, Donald Trump picked McMahon to be his secretary of education.[2] She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2025.
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Early life
McMahon was born Linda Marie Edwards[3] in New Bern, North Carolina, the daughter of Evelyn and Henry Edwards.[4][5] She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from East Carolina University.
WWE business career
McMahon was active with the WWE from 1980 to 2009. During this time, the company grew from a small regional business in the Northeastern United States to a large multinational corporation.
As President and later CEO of the company, she created the company's civic programs, Get REAL and Smackdown Your Vote. She occasionally made onscreen appearances, most notably in a wrestling "feud" with her husband which climaxed at WrestleMania X-Seven. McMahon and her husband became wealthy through WWE's success, and the McMahon family name is now synonymous with the professional wrestling industry.[6]
In July 2008, WWE changed its TV parental guidelines rating from TV-14 to TV-PG. In December 2008, at a UBS Media Conference, McMahon described the new rating as a marketing strategy to attract a young generation of wrestling fans and create loyalty to the brand. Due to the TV-PG rating, chair shots to the head were banned, as well as sex scenes, blood, and vulgar language.[7][8]
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United States senate campaigns
In 2009, McMahon left the WWE to run as a Republican for a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut, but lost to Democratic Party nominee Richard Blumenthal in the general election of 2010.[9][10]
McMahon was the Republican nominee for Connecticut's other Senate seat in the 2012 race, but lost to Democratic Representative Chris Murphy.[11]
Administrator of the Small Business Administration
On December 7, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate McMahon to be the Administrator of the Small Business Administration when he takes office.[12] McMahon was confirmed by the full Senate on February 14, 2017, with a vote of 81-19.[13]
In 2017, she visited 68 cities to hear from small business owners and to support the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 supported by President Trump.[14] On McMahon's first anniversary as head of the SBA, on January 29, 2018, The Washington Post said the SBA's progress under McMahon had been "so far, so good" and said she helped fix the SBA's offices' emergency call centers in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.[15]
On March 29, 2019, it was officially made public by the Trump administration that McMahon would be stepping down as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.[16][17] The resignation took effect on April 12, 2019.[18][19] On April 15, 2019, McMahon was officially named Chairman of America First Action, a pro-Trump Super PAC.[20]
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Sexual abuse lawsuit
In October 2024, McMahon was named as a defendant in a lawsuit, accusing her, her husband, and WWE of ignoring the "ring boys" scandal, in which multiple WWE personnel, including ring announcer Mel Phillips and wrestlers Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin, either resigned or were fired in 1992 after being accused of sexually assaulting young boys.[21][22][23]
McMahon's possible involvement in the ring boys scandal was known before she became Small Business Administrator.[21][23] The lawsuit also said that the McMahons helped create an environment where sexual abuse within the WWE was easy to do.[21][23]
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U.S. Secretary of Education
Nomination
On November 19, 2024, President-elect Trump nominated McMahon to serve as his secretary of education for his second administration.[2] Her nomination was criticized by educators, including by National Education Association president Rebecca S. Pringle, who said Trump's and her own support of eliminating the Department of Education, as well as McMahon not having strong qualifications to be Education secretary.[24][25]
On January 20, 2025, the nomination was received in the U.S. Senate and sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP).[26] The nomination hearing was scheduled for February 13, 2025.[27] The committee advanced her nomination in a 12–11 vote on February 20 for a full Senate vote.[28]
McMahon was confirmed to the office by the U.S. Senate on March 3, 2025, by a vote of 51–45.[29][30][31]
Tenure
McMahon was sworn in by Jacqueline Clay as the 13th United States Secretary of Education on March 3, 2025.[32]
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Personal life
McMahon married Vince McMahon in 1966. Together they had two children: Shane and Stephanie. McMahon is a converted Roman Catholic, after growing up in a conservative Baptist family.[33] In 2024, McMahon separated from her husband after many sexual assault accusations came out against him.[34]
References
Other websites
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