Trump picks former WWE executive to head education

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump said that he’s chosen Linda McMahon, the co-chair of his transition committee, to be Secretary of the Department of Education. He also announced Matt Whitaker as his US ambassador to NATO.

McMahon served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.McMahon was made transition team chair in August, after having donated $814,600 to Trump’s 2024 campaign as of July. She served in Trump’s cabinet in his first administration as the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.

McMahon is the former chief executive of WWE, which she co-founded with her husband, Vince McMahon. In October, McMahon was named in a new lawsuit involving WWE. The suit alleges that she and other leaders of the company allowed the sexual abuse of young boys at the hands of a ringside announcer, former WWE ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr. The complaint specifically alleges that the McMahons knew about the abuse and failed to stop it.

Trump also announced Matt Whitaker, who served as acting attorney general during his first term, as his US ambassador to The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

If confirmed, Whitaker will lead the US mission to NATO during a period where the defensive alliance may still be facing one of its toughest challenges — how to continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. He is also likely to be tasked with increasing pressure on countries in the alliance to increase their defence spending — renewing an effort that Trump undertook in his first term.

Earlier this year, NATO announced it would establish a mission to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine — an effort that has been largely led by the US — in a move that some saw as an attempt to “Trump proof” support. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have cast doubts on the level of the US continued commitment to Kyiv as the war drags on more than two and a half years after Russian forces invaded.

Trump is expected to announce a choice to be his Treasury Secretary as early as today, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. There are other key roles in the Cabinet that the president-elect has not announced yet, including: Agriculture secretary, Labor secretary and Housing and Urban Development secretary.