A powerful teachers union has said Donald Trump “could not care less” about students after picking Linda McMahon for education secretary.
The professional wrestling mogul, who led the Small Business Administration for two years during Trump’s first term, will be tasked with pushing through the president-elect’s hardline views of the Department of Education if she is confirmed.
In Trump’s mind, the department has been infiltrated by “radicals, zealots and Marxists.” He has pledged to shut it down.
McMahon, the billionaire co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and a close Trump ally, appears to have little experience with U.S. public education. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year and has spent years on the board of trustees for the private Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
In a statement, National Education Association President Becky Pringle said McMahon was “unqualified” for the role and likened her to Betsy DeVos, the controversial education secretary during Trump’s first presidency.
“By selecting Linda McMahon, Donald Trump is showing that he could not care less about our students’ futures,” the statement reads. “Rather than working to strengthen public schools, expand learning opportunities for students, and support educators, McMahon’s only mission is to eliminate the Department of Education and take away taxpayer dollars from public schools, where 90% of students – and 95% of students with disabilities – learn, and give them to unaccountable and discriminatory private schools.”
The statement concludes: “The Senate must stand up for our students and reject Donald Trump’s unqualified nominee, Linda McMahon. Our students and our nation deserve so much better than Betsy DeVos 2.0.”
McMahon, who is married to wrestling impresario Vince McMahon, twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.
She is the latest Trump Cabinet pick to raise eyebrows following Trump’s nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general and Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host, for defense.
Democracy In The Balance
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Trump has vowed to cut off federal money for schools and colleges that push “critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.”
Federal funding makes up only around 14% of public school budgets, but colleges and universities are more reliant on federal support.
The Education Department also manages the $1.5 trillion federal student loan portfolio and plays a regulatory role in services for students, including for those with disabilities and low-income and homeless children.