Linda McMahon expected to be named Education secretary, sources say

By Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins and John Towfighi, CNN

(CNN) — Trump transition co-chair Linda McMahon is expected to be named as 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 for Commerce secretary. President-elect Donald Trump named his other transition co-chair Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department earlier Tuesday after the Cantor Fitzgerald CEO had thrown his name into the mix for Treasury secretary, sparking a battle with hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.

McMahon served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She was appointed in 2017 and resigned in 2019 to become the 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 the WWE, which she co-founded with her husband, Vince McMahon. As head of the WWE, McMahon oversaw its transformation from a small wrestling entertainment company into a publicly traded media empire. She stepped down as CEO in 2009.

McMahon twice ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in Connecticut, losing in 2010 and 2012. She self-funded those campaigns, spending $50.1 million in 2010 and $48.7 million in 2012, according to Open Secrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks campaign financing. Trump donated $5,000 to her campaign in 2012.

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

This story has been updated with additional information.

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