Linda McMahon ditched the wrestling ring years ago, but she can’t evade the numerous clips from her past as an integral part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
The wife of Vince McMahon has been the focus of renewed scrutiny since being nominated to serve as Secretary of the Department of Education by President-elect Donald Trump. During Trump’s first term in office (2012-2016), she worked as the administrator of the Small Business Administration until 2019.
She is currently the chair of America First Action, a super PAC that supports Republican candidates who align with the 45th president’s agenda, as well as chair of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank promoting his policies. Before assuming her role as the head of DOE, she will first have to be approved by the Senate following Trump’s January 2025 inauguration.
In the days since her future gig was revealed, a number of clips of her taking on male wrestlers have recirculated on social media. Linda and Vince together are WWE co-founders. She also served as CEO from 1980 through 2009, when she resigned.
One of the clips shows her being flipped upside down and dropped to the floor — a move spectators recognize as being “tombstones” — by WWE star Kane, better known as the Knox County, Tennessee, County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. The entertainer-turned-politician is also mulling over a gubernatorial campaign for 2026.
Remember that time the next Governor of Tennessee @GlennJacobsTN Tombstoned the next Department of Education Secretary @Linda_McMahon
— kevin smith (@kevin_smith45) November 20, 2024
What a time to be alive!!! pic.twitter.com/Y6ye98tlzs
But for several social media users, the wrestling script converging with real-life politics could not be any less entertaining. “We are not surprised anymore. How about appointing Mike Tyson as the deputy?” an individual sarcastically wrote. Someone else said, “Does it get more American than this.”
But elsewhere online, a third person commented, “To put people in top jobs because Trump has seen them on TV, but have absolutely no actual experience that’s an intelligent move – NOT. I fear for the future.” As well as, “elect a clown and the rest of the circus rolls into town …”
Trump has made more than 40 appointments to his forthcoming administration. And as far as critics can tell, “He just giving random jobs to his friends.”
This clip of Trump entering on WWE will never not be funny 🤣 pic.twitter.com/BAGnSBi3W2
— Defiant World (@DefiantWorld) November 21, 2024
Linda served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year before misrepresenting her academic background as having a degree in education led to her resignation.
She also ran for Senate as a Republican in 2010. Her rapport with Trump dates back even further than her political aspirations. “The Apprentice” head boss appeared in the WWE ring as a participant in the “Battle of Millionaires.” A Twitter user speculated that Linda’s appointment to DOE could be part of a larger scheme favoring her estranged husband, Vince.
Rumors that their marriage was on the rocks were widely circulated around 2022 when Vince was accused of paying millions to cover up sexual misconduct and cheating allegations. As an insider, the individual said that Vince could make a return for good when she gets “Donald Trump to exonerate him of all charges.”
Vince briefly stepped down as WWE CEO during the fallout but returned in 2023 as an executive chairperson, only to again step down from the billion-dollar company.
