Who is Linda McMahon, WWE co-founder named by Trump as Education Secretary?

Linda McMahon headed the Small Business Administration in Donald Trump's first administration and was a major donor and early supporter of the US President-elect when he first ran for the White House almost 10 years ago.

In Short

• Linda McMahon was Small Business Administration head in Trump's first administration
• She co-founded WWE with husband Vince McMahon in 1980 and transformed it into a media empire
• She has been a strong supporter of Trump's campaigns

Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) which she co-founded with her husband Vince McMahon, has been named by Donald Trump as his pick to head the Department of Education, an agency that the US President-elect has pledged to dismantle.

In a statement on Tuesday, Trump called the wrestling mogul and billionaire Republican donor a "fierce advocate" for parents' rights and working hard to "give children an opportunity to receive excellent education regardless of zip code or income".

He went on to say that in her new role as Education Secretary, Linda McMahon would "fight tirelessly to expand 'choice' to every state in America".

Linda 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 political action committee.

She also is the board chair of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank that she formed in 2021 with Larry Kudlow and other advisers from the first Trump administration.

LINDA MCMAHON'S TIME AS WWE EXECUTIVE

Linda McMahon married Vince McMahon, the son of professional wrestling promoter Vincent James McMahon, in 1966. nearly 15 years later, the couple, in 1980, founded Titan Sports, a sports entertainment company which was later named as World Wrestling Entertainment, where she worked as the president and later CEO until 2009.

As head of the WWE, Linda McMahon oversaw its transformation from a small wrestling entertainment company into a publicly traded media empire, raking in billions of dollars to become one of the country's major sports franchise.

When Donald Trump hosted his reality show “The Apprentice", he made an appearance at Wrestlemania in 2007. An elaborately scripted feud saw Trump shaving off Vince McMahon’s hair in the middle of the ring.

HER ENTRY INTO POLITICS

Linda McMahon ran twice for a US Senate seat in Connecticut, but lost in 2010 to Richard Blumenthal and in 2012 to Chris Murphy.

She self-funded her electoral campaigns, spending $50.1 million in 2010 and $48.7 million in 2012, CNN reported citing data from Open Secrets, a nonprofit organisation that tracks campaign financing.

Trump donated $5,000 to her campaign in 2012.

After her unsuccessful runs, she focused on providing financial support to candidates. Linda McMahon provided $6 million to help Trump’s candidacy after he secured the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

A month after entering the White House, Trump chose Linda McMahon as leader of the Small Business Administration -- an agency that gave loans and disaster relief to companies and entrepreneurs, and monitored government officials’ compliance with contract laws.

“She has been a superstar,” Trump said when she left the administration in 2019. “The fact is, I’ve known her for a long time. I knew she was good, but I didn’t know she was that good.”

UNENDING SUPPORT FOR DONALD TRUMP

When Trump ran against Joe Biden in 2020, Linda McMahon chaired America First Action, a super political action committee that backed the Republican's re-election campaign.

After his election loss, she helped start the America First Policy Institute to continue advocating for Trump’s agenda and prepare for a potential return to the White House.

When Trump ran for president this year, McMahon was the co-chair of his transition team along with Howard Lutnick, the chief executive of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald.

As part of that role, McMahon has been helping to plan Trump’s new administration.