Linda McMahon is expected to be named education secretary, sources say

CNN
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Trump transition co-chair Linda McMahon is expected to be named secretary of the Department of Education, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The decision took shape after it became clear that McMahon would be passed over as Commerce Secretary. President-elect Donald Trump named his second transition co-chairman, Howard Lutnick, to lead the Commerce Department earlier Tuesday after the Cantor Fitzgerald chief executive threw his name into the mix for Treasury secretary, sparking a battle with hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.

McMahon served as administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She was appointed in 2017 and resigned in 2019 to become 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.

AFPI has raised millions of dollars since it was founded and has been described as a “White House-in-waiting” planning potential policy proposals for Trump’s second term.

McMahon is also the former CEO of WWE, which she co-founded with her husband, Vince McMahon. As head of WWE, McMahon oversaw its transformation from a small wrestling entertainment company to a publicly traded media empire. She stepped down as CEO in 2009.

McMahon ran twice unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in Connecticut, losing in 2010 and 2012. She financed those campaigns herself, spending $50.1 million in 2010 and $48.7 million in 2012, according to Open Secretsa nonprofit that tracks campaign finance. Trump donated $5,000 to her campaign in 2012.

McMahon himself is a major Republican donor. During Trump’s first presidential campaign, McMahon donated more than $7 million to two pro-Trump super PACs, according to Open secrets.

This story has been updated with additional information.