Linda McMahon, a former WWE executive, has been confirmed as Education Secretary amid plans to dismantle the department

On Monday, the Senate confirmed Linda McMahon, a longtime executive in the WWE, as the country’s secretary of education.

Now, McMahon, 76, must reduce the size of the Education Department while carrying out Trump’s policies, which include encouraging school choice and doing away with diversity initiatives. McMahon reassured senators that she plans to make the department “operate more efficiently” rather than defund important programs, despite Trump’s vows to completely abolish it.

McMahon was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 51-45. McMahon, a rich entrepreneur with little to no experience in education policy, is a trustee of Sacred Heart University and a former member of Connecticut’s state board of education. While her detractors claim she is untrained and worries about widespread budget cuts that would hurt schools across the country, her supporters see her as a capable leader.

According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “Americans believe in public education.” “They oppose the elimination of the Department of Education.”

Although he mentioned that some duties might be transferred to other organizations, McMahon promised to preserve important financing for college students and low-income schools. Elon Musk, a Trump adviser, has already cut contracts and dismantled research projects through his Department of Government Efficiency, actions that detractors claim compromise federal oversight of education.

McMahon has contributed millions to Trump’s presidential campaigns and was the former head of the Small Business Administration. She has experienced her fair share of scandal, just like him. She and her husband, WWE co-founder Vince McMahon, were sued in October 2024 for failing to report numerous cases of sexual assault. The plaintiffs claimed that a WWE employee had mistreated them throughout their time as “ring boys” in the 1980s and 1990s, and that Linda and Vince were aware of the attacks. Despite the fact that the lads were minors at the time, both are charged with failing to step in.