WWE Clip Shows Linda McMahon, Trump's Education Secretary Pick, Being Body Slammed by Kane, Now a Tenn. Mayor
A video had resurfaced of the WWE co-founder getting in the ring with former Hall of Fame wrestler Glenn Jacobs
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Linda McMahon in 2019A video had resurfaced of WWE co-founder Linda McMahon — President-elect Donald Trump's choice for education secretary — getting in the ring with Glenn Jacobs, a former Hall of Fame wrestler who is now a Tennessee mayor.
In the now-viral clip from an undated episode of Monday Night Raw, which has racked up over 15 million views on social media, the 76-year-old WWE co-founder can be seen confronting Jacobs a.k.a Kane, who picks her up and flips her upside down before body slamming her onto the floor as a part of a skit.
Sports Illustrated reported that McMahon — who also served as the former head of the U.S. Small Business Administration during the first half of Trump's first term — and her children appeared in a number of sketches for WWE more than a decade ago, playing a fictionalized version of herself getting into fights.
Jacobs, 57, is now the Republican mayor of Knox County, Tenn. On Tuesday, Nov. 19, he posted a message on X (formerly Twitter), soon after McMahon's education secretary candidacy was announced, to congratulate his former sparring partner on her nomination.
"Congrats to @Linda_McMahon, our new Secretary of Education!" he wrote. "Honored to call you a friend and can't wait to see all you accomplish with @realDonaldTrump over the next four years."
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Linda McMahon and her husband and co-founder Vince appear in the ring during his 64th birthday special in 2009.Related: Donald Trump's Cabinet Picks: Who He's Already Chosen and Who He Might Choose Next
Trump, 78, first announced he anticipates bringing McMahon into his upcoming administration on Tuesday, writing that she is doing an "incredible" job as transition team co-chair.
"As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand 'Choice' to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families," Trump said, later adding, "We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort."
The WWE co-founder also serves as board chair at the right wing think tank, the America First Policy Institute. She resigned from her role at WWE in 2009 as she was running for one of Connecticut's U.S. Senate seats, but ultimately lost the election.
CNN's Kristen Holmes reported soon after the announcement that McMahon was nominated for education secretary after Trump passed her over for her first-choice cabinet position of commerce secretary.
Related: Donald Trump Nominates WWE Co-Founder Linda McMahon as Education Secretary
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McMahon may be tasked to oversee Trump's plans for the abolition of the Department of Education — a federal department that Trump has expressed interest in abolishing.
The president-elect has previously criticized the Department of Education for being “ineffective” and staffing employees who “hate our children.” In July 2024, Trump proposed closing the agency and to “cut federal funding for any school or program pushing critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.”
He also said he wants to “find and remove the radicals who have infiltrated the federal Department of Education,” as well as “keep men out of women’s sports.”
Trump has announced several other selections for his cabinet over the past few weeks, including Dr. Mehmet Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, Billionaire businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-leaders of the new Department of Government Efficiency, and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary.
