Dave Davies
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For Terry Gross and Tanya Mosley, I'm Dave Davies.
This is Fresh Air.
I'm Dave Davies.
In filling out his cabinet, President Trump has tapped some colorful characters, sometimes TV hosts and talking heads whose views appeal to him.
His pick for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, has television experience of a different kind, talking smack in pro wrestling rings, often with her husband, wrestling mogul Vince McMahon, known for his showmanship and allegations of sexual abuse.
Our guest writer Zach Helfand has written a profile of Linda McMahon in The New Yorker.
She is no clown, he finds.
She proved to be a savvy businesswoman as CEO of the family wrestling empire.
And when Trump tapped her to head the small business administration in his first term, Helfand writes she was a steady and effective leader.
Many describe her as capable, kind, and empathetic.
She came to her new role with little experience in education policy, but an unwavering commitment to Trump's goal of eliminating the department altogether.
While only Congress can formally abolish the cabinet-level agency, Helfand writes that McMahon is systematically dismantling the department, cutting some 50 percent of its employees, and transferring its functions elsewhere, with dramatic impacts on education research, student loan management, and programs for students with disabilities.