Wrestling fans are baffled over Donald Trump’s move to nominate Linda McMahon, the estranged wife of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, as his education secretary.
Trump announced Tuesday night that McMahon, his transition co-chair and former Small Business Administration head during his first White House stint, would take up the post.
McMahon, 76, is perhaps best known to many for her role in WWE where she worked as president and CEO from 1980 to 2009, alongside Vince. The Washington Post reports that the pair are currently separated. During her time with WWE, Linda was a frequent on-screen figure and was featured in many storylines, often with Vince and their children, Shane and Stephanie.
Responding to the nomination, WWE fans have been sharing jokes and clips about McMahon’s time in the wrestling company to illustrate just how bizarre her career has been.
“Fun Fact: Linda McMahon will be the first Secretary of Education to survive a Stone Cold Stunner,” joked one fan.
Another person added: “Linda McMahon was terrible at taking the Stone Cold Stunner and for this reason I believe she is totally unqualified to be Education secretary.”
“Surely the first education secretary to have been tombstoned by the Undertaker?” questioned another.
Another said: “Linda McMahon to become the first Secretary of Education to have been a playable character in WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64.”
Posting a compliation of clips of McMahon’s wrestling bouts, including some where she faced off against her own daughter, another added: “Nobody will fight for our children harder than our Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Her experience speaks for itself.”
One user highlighted one of McMahon’s more controversial WWE storylines, in which she is “drugged” by her husband while he has an affair with an employee.
“Linda McMahon was nominated as Secretary of Education. Here, she is acting comatose as her husband forces an employee of his to make out with him in front of his real wife and the whole world “for a bit.” These people are sick. At least people know about Trump’s buddy Vince now,” they wrote, sharing a GIF of the show.
Meet Trump’s new Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon pic.twitter.com/5IAWechZ6w
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) November 20, 2024
Vince McMahon is currently facing serious accusations of sexual misconduct and human trafficking from a former employee named Janel Grant, who claims that McMahon raped her and coerced her into sexual acts with other men, from 2019 until 2022.
McMahon has denied the allegations, but the allegations led to his ouster from the company he built from a regional operation to a national, billion-dollar corporation.
In April 2023, WWE was sold to the parent company of UFC in a $9.3 billion deal.
Another lawsuit, that also involves Linda, alleges that Melvin Phillips, who died in 2012, would target young men from disadvantaged backgrounds and hire them as “ring boys” to help with the preparations for wrestling matches. Phillips would then assault them in his dressing room, hotels and even in the wrestlers’ locker room, according to the complaint, which was filed on behalf of five men.
