A New Attitude: Why McMahon Isn’t DeVos 2.0
Daniel A. Collier
December 5, 2025
Daniel A. Collier writes that Linda McMahon’s approach as secretary of education may not mirror that of Betsy DeVos.
President-elect Donald Trump recently announced Linda McMahon as his pick to head the Department of Education—a department he has openly talked about eliminating. Despite Linda McMahon’s decades-long friendship with Trump and having served in both his former administration and re-election efforts, to say that pundits and academics were generally surprised by this announcement would be an understatement.
Some recent commentary has drawn comparisons between McMahon and Trump’s previous pick for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, noting their extraordinary wealth and lack of direct experience in education or federal educational policy. However, I believe these parallels could be misguided, particularly regarding assumptions about how McMahon will manage the Education Department.
