Who is Linda McMahon, former-WWE chief confirmed as Donald Trump's education secretary?
Donald Trump has vowed to dismantle the education department in his campaign promises, which Linda McMahon agrees with
Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Linda McMahon has been confirmed as the education secretary under President Donald Trump's administration by the US Senate on Monday.
Notably, Donald Trump has vowed to dismantle the department in his campaign promises, where he called for decentralising education and giving state government's the power to make decisions about education in their territory.
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Earlier, he had jokingly asked McMahon to “put herself out of a job” in the process of dissolving the education department's powers.
Who is Linda McMahon?
Seventy-five-year-old businesswoman McMahon, is the co-founder of the popular wrestling league WWE, and worked in the organisation from 1980 to 2009 as the president and CEO.
Linda McMahon has been a long-time donor to the Republican party and an ally to Donald Trump, often financially backing his political ambitions.
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Linda McMahon also served in Donald Trump's first term as President as the head of small business administration.
Linda McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, who is also an influential figure in the WWE.
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Echoing the promises Donald Trump has made regarding the education department, McMahon told the US Senate committee in February that "the excessive consolidation of power" in Washington DC was damaging education.
"So what's the remedy? Fund education freedom, not government," she added.
During her confirmation hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders expressed his dissatisfaction with the plans and said the education department was "providing vital resources for 26 million children in this country who live in high-poverty school districts."
He also said, that it was the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that every kid in America, whether you're poor, middle class, rich, gets a quality education."
The Senate also questioned McMahon about a sexual assault scandal in the WWE during her tenure, where teenage boys filed a civil suit against her, claiming she was aware of their abuse but did not take any action. McMahon's lawyers have denied the claims as “baseless.”
