In a recent announcement, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and Mehmet Oz, the celebrity doctor and former TV host, for two key cabinet positions. McMahon, who has a long history as a businesswoman and political ally of Trump, has been nominated as Secretary of Education, while Oz has been picked to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Linda McMahon’s Nomination as Education Secretary:
Linda McMahon, who has had a close personal and professional relationship with Trump, is slated to become Secretary of Education. McMahon co-founded Titan Sports with her husband in the 1980s, which later became WWE, a global sports entertainment company. Although McMahon has no formal background in education, she has been actively involved in politics and advocacy, serving on Connecticut’s Board of Education from 2009 to 2010. She also chaired the America First Policy Institute, a think tank aligned with Trump’s views, and has been a vocal advocate for parental rights in education.
Trump’s pick of McMahon signals his ongoing effort to appoint loyal supporters to top positions in his administration. McMahon’s appointment comes after Trump has repeatedly criticized the U.S. Department of Education for what he describes as promoting “woke” political ideologies in public schools, particularly related to race and gender. Trump has even promised to eliminate the department, and McMahon’s role, should she be confirmed, would be to help enact that vision, including shifting more control over education to individual states. Republicans have increasingly sought to reduce federal influence in education, advocating for states to have greater autonomy in shaping curriculum and policies.
Despite her lack of formal education policy experience, McMahon’s past involvement in politics, her advocacy for parental rights, and her leadership of a pro-Trump think tank make her confirmation likely in the Republican-majority Senate. However, McMahon’s nomination has been controversial due to her role in a recent lawsuit involving WWE, in which the company and its leaders, including McMahon, are accused of enabling abuse by a deceased employee. The McMahons have denied the allegations, calling them baseless and defamatory.
Mehmet Oz’s Nomination for CMS Leadership:
Mehmet Oz, a celebrity doctor best known for his long-running talk show, “The Dr. Oz Show,” has been nominated to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). A trained cardiothoracic surgeon, Oz gained fame through his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and his own medical talk show, where he dispensed health advice on a wide range of topics. Although Oz’s career has been marked by controversy due to his promotion of unproven health products and treatments, Trump believes he is uniquely qualified to oversee the nation’s healthcare programs.
Oz has faced significant criticism over the years for endorsing products and therapies that medical experts have labeled pseudoscientific. This includes his promotion of weight-loss supplements, which he famously suggested would “flush fat from your system,” as well as his support for hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19—an approach widely discredited by the medical community. Despite these controversies, Trump has expressed confidence in Oz’s ability to “make America healthy again” and reduce waste and fraud within the CMS, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, two of the largest and most costly government programs in the U.S. Oz’s experience in healthcare and his public visibility could help drive the administration’s goal of increasing transparency, reducing costs, and expanding access to healthcare services.
Like McMahon, Oz will need to be confirmed by the Senate before officially assuming his role. His selection signals Trump’s ongoing strategy of appointing individuals who align with his personal and political values, even if they lack traditional qualifications for the roles they are chosen for. Oz’s nomination is part of Trump’s broader effort to overhaul government programs and reduce what he views as bureaucratic inefficiency, particularly in the healthcare sector.
The Broader Context:
Both of these picks, McMahon and Oz, reflect Trump’s tendency to prioritize loyalty and personal relationships over traditional qualifications in cabinet appointments. They are both figures who have been central to Trump’s political network—McMahon through her involvement with his administration’s early initiatives, and Oz through his high-profile endorsement of Trump during his 2020 presidential campaign. Additionally, these appointments fit within the larger context of Trump’s political agenda, which includes dismantling what he considers overreaching federal agencies and returning control to state and local authorities.
In sum, while both McMahon and Oz have limited experience in their respective policy areas, their appointments highlight Trump’s preference for loyalists and public figures with a shared ideological stance. McMahon’s appointment to the Education Department and Oz’s to CMS could have significant implications for U.S. education and healthcare policy, depending on their ability to secure Senate confirmation and implement Trump’s vision for these critical sectors.
