Even in Trump’s cabinet of hucksters, reality-show stars, and drunk white nationalists, Linda McMahon is a bizarre choice for education secretary.
Linda McMahon, now Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary, poses for a portrait when she was president and CEO of the World Wrestling Federation, on December 12, 1999.(Jean-Christian Bourcart / Liaison via Getty Images))
The first Major League Baseball player to break the color line was Jack Roosevelt Robinson in 1947. The first Black man, in the restricted, country club world of golf, to play in the Masters was Lee Elder in 1975.
The first Black man’s win of the World Wrestling Federation championship was in 1997, when the biracial charisma-machine Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took the belt. It would not happen again for another Black wrestler until 2019, when the title adorned the waist of Kofi Kingston. The longtime fan favorite was then squashed in eight seconds by German American Übermensch Brock Lesnar and never got a rematch. This backstage decision was widely perceived as humiliating to Kingston and a slap in the face to fans and Black wrestlers who were literally crying with joy when Kofi was crowned
In the world of sports entertainment, where outcomes are scripted, the most common role for Black wrestlers had always been minstrelsy: Ugandan headhunters, “voodoo practitioners” holding human skulls, and a Black woman named Sapphire. (The “Sapphire caricature” is a minstrel trope from the early 20th century, so none of this was subtle.)
Much ink has been spilled about the history of WWE’s rank racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism. In these analyses, the blame for their constant commodified mockery of marginalized groups has been put upon the shoulders of “the Boss”: the alleged sex-trafficker, rapist, and friend of Donald Trump Vince McMahon. (The racism at WWE also was never just in front of the cameras. According to a recent lawsuit, it flourished behind the scenes as well.)
But Vince McMahon conveniently obscures the role of the company’s former longtime CEO who operated largely—if not always—off-camera, Linda McMahon. Every bit of racist bile spewed by this company had her stamp of approval. She also held the alleged job of covering up the numerous allegations of gender violence levied against her husband. (Federal prosecutors quietly dropped the charges against Vince on February 14, which I’m sure was done in the interests of justice and had nothing to do with Trump’s seizure of the Justice Department.)
Today, Linda McMahon is, of course, Trump’s nominee for education secretary of the United States. Even in this cabinet of hucksters, reality-show stars, and drunk white nationalists, it’s a bizarre choice. Not only does she know nearly nothing about basic education policy, as seen in her confirmation hearing, she has been sued for covering up the sexual abuse of a child at WWE. I know it’s a cliché, but imagine the Qanon riot if a Democratic nominee for education secretary (of all jobs!) was stained with such a charge.
At least Trump’s last education secretary, the odious Betsy DeVos, had a history of trying to destroy public education. In other words, she was well-versed in this world, even if it was only to eradicate it. So what possibly are McMahon’s qualifications? Perhaps it is her alleged experience covering up sexual assault, something that could come in handy for this administration. But her apparent comfort in a culture that abuses women and children is not why she holds this position. It’s also more than just her plans to follow Trump’s orders and, in her words, “wholeheartedly” support the dismantling of the Department of Education—thereby cutting critical resources to underserved students. It’s even more than her willingness to execute a cornerstone of Trumpism and make life hell for trans kids in their schools. The White House could have found any Heritage Foundation nepo baby to do that.
So why Linda McMahon? It seems that there are two kinds of Musk/Trump cabinet members: There are the dignity-free quislings happy to humiliate themselves for a taste of power (see Marco Rubio). Then there are the true believers who share the Musk/Trump fascist perspective of the world: all power to mediocre rich white men willing to strip-mine this country, and the only role for the “others,” no matter how accomplished, must be as minstrels. And these “others” must accept this with a smile if they want so much as an audience with the Orange King. (Just ask “our Tiger.”)
Linda McMahon falls into the second category. She is 76 years old and wants her legacy to be turning the bigotry that made her so obscenely rich into public policy. She’s a simpleton when it comes to education. But she knows how to sell racism as a brand and is applying that WWE expertise to how our kids will be taught.
The first sign was in her largely overlooked confirmation hearings when she was asked about whether she supported teaching Black history in schools, and she answered, “I’m not quite certain.” I reached out to educator and author of the recent book Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education Jesse Hagopian about McMahon’s comments. He said, “Entertaining the possibility of outlawing Black history in the US is about rigging the fight so justice always loses. The goal of these attacks on education is to create fear and confusion so that teachers hesitate to tell the truth about systemic racism.”
Then last week, her Education Department issued a terrifying memo threatening to cut off federal funding to public schools and colleges that engage in “race-related decisions,” saying “assessments” will begin February 28. (So much for local control!) That would mean schools could lose federal funding perhaps for teaching AP African American history (my son’s favorite class), or having a club for Latinx students, or painting an elementary-school mural of Rosa Parks during Black History Month. But as Hagopian describes, the real goal of McMahon’s memo is to sow fear in teachers and administrators about what they can and cannot teach. He calls Linda McMahon an “educational arsonist,” burning down our rich history of resistance to make us ignorant of the idea that change is possible and hamper our ability to fight back.
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If the New Testament is right, someday this educational arsonist will exist among the flames. But until then, when she tries to go scorched-earth on our schools and our truths, she could in return be drenched. As Linda McMahon tries to incinerate our learning communities, she will learn the words of Kurt Vonnegut: “I can think of no more stirring symbol of humanity than a fire engine.”
That fire engine’s siren is now blaring from inside Linda’s “house.” On Monday night, star wrestler Phil Brooks—known as CM Punk—walked to the ring wearing a Chicago Teachers Union shirt. This was not scripted. Brooks, an institution unto himself in his hometown of Chicago, has known people connected to the CTU for years. To come out in this shirt on the day his boss declared war on public education—a boss whose family’s union busting is part of WWE history—was an act of public defiance. Brooks also has publicly supported transgender youth, one target of McMahon’s attacks on our most vulnerable students.
Phil Brooks is not Joe Hill, as liberal scolds on social media were quick to point out. But in this era, we should embrace imperfect messengers willing to stand up to this fascistic agenda. While many liberals rolled their eyes given the backdrop of WWE, the public school teachers in my life were delighted that the photo of Brooks went viral. They felt seen. And given the popularity of WWE among their students, they were especially thrilled with who was watching. No active male US athlete, shoutout to DiJonai Carrington, has yet to visibly stand up to Trump on the field of play. May Brooks be the first of many white male athletes to step up.. The “CM” in CM Punk stands for “Chicago Made,” and last night he sent a message to Linda McMahon that if she goes after Chicago, the battle will be joined.
Dave ZirinDave Zirin is the sports editor at The Nation. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports. He is also the coproducer and writer of the new documentary Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL.