# Linda McMahon, wrestling industry billionaire, confirmed as US education secretary

US Senate confirmed Trump ally and ex-wrestling executive as chief of department president wants dismantled

The US Senate has confirmed Linda McMahon as the nation’s next education secretary, entrusting the former wrestling executive with a department marked for dismantling by .

The 76-year-old billionaire businesswoman and longtime Trump ally was approved 51-45, reflecting deep divisions over her qualifications and the administration’s education agenda. McMahon, who previously led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, now faces the paradoxical task of running an agency while simultaneously working toward its potential elimination.



Linda McMahon attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington DC on 26 February 2025. Photograph: Abaca/Rex/Shutterstock

Critics have questioned McMahon’s qualifications, pointing to her limited educational background – a one-year stint on Connecticut’s state board of education and service as a trustee at Sacred Heart University – and lack of traditional experience in education policy or administration.

But the incoming education secretary currently chairs the , a Trump-aligned thinktank home to many of the education department’s  – an indication that McMahon will have ideological allies that will position her to implement sweeping changes with minimal internal resistance.

At her confirmation hearing, McMahon attempted to soften the administration’s hardline stances, promising to maintain critical programs like Title I funding and Pell grants while acknowledging that only Congress holds the authority to eliminate the department entirely.

The new education secretary takes office as schools and colleges nationwide scrambled to meet  to eliminate diversity programs or risk losing federal funding. A guidance document from the education department  indicates they are not backing down from their strongly held anti-DEI positioning. It also comes days after the department launched a  to catch diversity initiatives in public schools nationwide.

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