Linda McMahon, American businesswoman and politician
Linda Marie McMahon (née Edwards; October 4, 1948) is an American political executive, former Trump administration official, and former professional wrestling executive and performer. She served as the 25th administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.
McMahon, along with her husband, Vince McMahon, founded sports entertainment company Titan Sports, Inc. (today WWE) where she worked as the president and later CEO from 1980 to 2009. During this time, the company grew from a small regional business in the northeast to a large multinational corporation. Among other things, she initiated the company's civic programs, Get REAL and Smackdown Your Vote. She gave occasional on-screen performances, most notably in a feud with her husband that culminated at WrestleMania X-Seven.
In 2009, McMahon left the WWE to run for a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut as a Republican, but lost to Democrat Richard Blumenthal in the general election of 2010. She was the Republican nominee for Connecticut's other Senate seat in the 2012 race, but lost to Democrat Chris Murphy.
On December 7, 2016, Donald Trump (president-elect at the time) announced that he would nominate McMahon to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. The Senate confirmation hearing began on January 24, 2017, and on February 1, her nomination was approved by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship with an 18–1 vote and confirmed by the full Senate on February 14, by a vote of 81–19.
On March 29, 2019, the Trump administration announced McMahon would step down as the administrator of the Small Business Administration to assume new responsibilities within President Trump's reelection campaign, and the resignation took effect on April 12. On April 15, she was named chairwoman of America First Action, a pro-Trump Super PAC.